Watches You
by Wide-Eyed-Dolly
Summary: Some secrets are meant to stay hidden. The kids of South Park will figure this out with the help of a mysterious new student, and a deadly secret of his own... (Slender fic.)
1. Chapter 1

Hey there everybody! So, I decided to try writing a South Park story, and I hope it turns out good. :) A little funny, a little freaky, and a whole lot of I'm not sure is about to unfold. So let's get right to it!

Disclaimers, oh boy. I do not own South Park or anything related, and I never will. My own original character is the only thing I own. That will be all.

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><p>"Stan, hey Stan!" A dark-haired boy groaned from under his covers, trying to will away the voice that so rudely interrupted his sleep. "Dammit, Stan, wake up!" A discarded backpack was flung across the room, hitting the sleepy boy square in the side of the head. Annoyed, he pulled his blankets off of himself and rubbed his aching temple, glaring at the boy in the doorway.<p>

"What the hell, Kyle!"

The red-haired boy in the doorway, Kyle, leaned against the frame and tapped his watch. "Dude, get up. We're gonna be late."

Stan groaned. "Late for what?"

"School, dummy; now get up already. If you hurry, we can still catch the bus."

"Ugh, fine!" The raven-haired boy dragged himself out of bed, gathered some clothes, and rushed to the bathroom. He reemerged ten minutes later, showered, dressed, and otherwise all prepared for the day ahead. He slipped on his socks, grabbed his backpack, and slugged his best friend in the arm as the two headed downstairs. Slipping on his shoes, he called out, "Bye Mom, bye Dad! I'll see you after school!" And with that, the two boys hurried outside to chase the bus.

"You know Stan," Kyle said, smirking, "maybe if you didn't spend all night making out with Wendy, you wouldn't need me to come wake you up this morning."

"Shut up dude, we're not even together anymore!"

Kyle snickered. "Whatever you say, Stan. Hey look, there's the bus!" He sprinted like mad to catch the school bus before it left them behind. He turned his head and shouted, "Hurry your ass up Stan!"

Stan picked up the pace to keep up with Kyle. As soon as they were a block away, the bus closed its doors and drove off to pick up other kids at other bus stops. The two growled in frustration as they realized their attempt to stop the bus was a pitiful failure.

"DAMMIT!" Stan shouted.

"Hey no worries," Kyle said, trying to cheer his friend up. "Why don't we just try to run the rest of the way there? I mean, if the bus has more kids to pick up, then surely we still have more time, right?"

Stan nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

They grinned at each other and jogged down the road to their school, extremely thankful that they'd decided not to wear their coats and hats. They were getting hot under the September sun, but nevertheless, they did not slow down. It wasn't until they were just another two blocks from the school that they started slowing the pace a bit, but not by much.

Kyle looked ahead, noticing someone coming out of Harbucks. Confused, he turned to Stan. "Hey, who's that?"

They all but stopped when another kid came out of the coffee shop, a tall steaming cup of coffee in his fingerless-gloved hands. He blew on it carefully and raised the Styrofoam cup to his lips, black nail polish shining in the sunlight. His clothes even seemed to glow; bright neon green accents on his black shirt lit up under the light, and his neon green and yellow shoes hurt the other boys' eyes. He looked up to see Stan and Kyle staring, and glared from behind his glasses.

"What?"

"Did a toxic baby throw up on you this morning, kid?" Stan asked, shielding his eyes from the boy's clothes.

The boy rolled his eyes and turned on his heel, putting his neon green headphones over his ears.

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><p>"Guys! Hey you guys!"<p>

Stan and Kyle turned to see a large chubby boy running their way, eyes wide. "What?"

"New kid!" He pointed down the hall at the same boy Stan and Kyle had run into outside of Harbucks that morning. The two made a face. When they didn't say anything, the fat kid grumbled. "Well?"

"Well what, Cartman?"

"Yeah, he's just some little punk," Kyle sighed.

A blonde boy joined the other three, orange hoodie wrapped around his waist. "Who's a little punk?" he asked.

"Hey Kenny," Stan greeted. He pointed at the boy in green down the hall, frowning. "That's the little punk. Kid was a jerk to us this morning for like no reason."

Kenny eyed the new kid and blinked. "Did a radioactive baby puke on him or something?"

Kyle shrugged. "Who knows, who cares. He shouldn't act surprised when people stare at him, especially if he's wearing clothes like that."

The bell rang, making everyone in the hallway scatter like roaches to their first hour classes. The four boys strode to their first tenth grade class, eager to get the day over with.

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><p>The school day was nearly finished, much to the boys' relief. There was only one last class of the day before they could go home: gym class. They all grinned and walked through the gym doors, and saw a bunch of familiar faces. There was Craig and his group settled up on top of the bleachers; a group of popular girls huddled in a corner giggling about who-knows-what; Butters, Pip, Damien, and a few other kids standing by the bleachers opposite Craig's group. Mostly, everyone they'd already seen throughout the day in other classes. Stan sighed when Wendy sent him a flirty smile from across the gym, and remembered how she liked to torture him like this when they aren't together. Kyle took notice and sent a mean look Wendy's way.<p>

"Don't let her get to you, Stan," he said comfortingly. "She's only doing this because she's a bitch."

"Yeah, I know," Stan mumbled.

"Are you guys going in or what?"

The group turned around to come face-to-face with the boy in green. Stan and Kyle cringed at the sight of the bright green on his clothes, Kenny's eyes widened in surprise, and Cartman glared.

"Ay! Just who the hell do you think you are, you little snot!"

He glared back at Cartman and crossed his arms over his chest. "Parker," he said simply. "I don't know who you are, and frankly I could care less."

"Okay, so tell us why you're here then? Shouldn't you be going to class?"

"This is my class, dumbass," Parker spat. "Now move, before I break your fingers."

Kyle leaned over to Stan. "Actually, I wouldn't mind seeing that," he whispered, snickering when Stan started laughing.

The fat kid fumed. "Screw you guys, I'm going to the bathroom." He waddled away, face red and grumbling to himself.

The other three boys were left laughing in the doorway, watching Cartman leave. As much as they hated to admit it, Parker was kinda cool, in his own mean way. At least he was giving Cartman the worst of the crap he'd dealt out all day. Kenny was the first to calm his laughter, and he looked Parker in the eyes, smiling.

"You might be a jerk, but at least you know how to put Cartman in his place," he chuckled.

"Yeah," Stan agreed, "way to go!"

Parker cocked a brow, confused. "Uh, thanks…" He passed through the boys and wandered around the gym, ignoring the odd stares and comments thrown his way.

The gym teacher appeared from the boys' locker room, pushing Cartman along the way into the gym with everyone else. He looked around and took count of all the students before announcing, "Okay everyone…get in a line. We're playing Dodgeball!"

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><p>Ugh, I feel like that could have gone better...ah well. That's what happens when you listen to a bunch of dubstep while writing, huh? Lol. Um, yeah, it'll be better in the next chapter, trust me. Don't forget to leave a review please, because reviews make the world go round! :)<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Stan and Craig were chosen as the team captains for Dodgeball. One by one, each kid was called on and assigned to one of the teams. Kyle, Tweek, Kenny, Token, Cartman, Clyde, Wendy, Bebe, and so on, until it was only Pip and Parker left. Stan picked Parker, which left Pip on Craig's team. Immediately, everyone started talking trash about the other team, getting pumped for the game. Each team stood waiting on either side of the dividing line on the gym floor, staring down the enemies with smug smirks on their faces. When the gym teacher finally set out the balls on the line, everyone suddenly grew tense and ready to strike. The whistle blew, and the battle had started.

"LET'S GO!" Craig shouted, scooping up a ball and hurling it at Stan's team.

"GET READY TO LOSE!" Stan screamed, dodging balls and throwing a few of his own.

Kids screeched in glee as the game intensified. At one point, the gym teacher had a wild idea to put on music during the battle, only making the students more excited and really throwing themselves into the game. The song of choice was one of Parker's favorites – the Knife Party remix of Porter Robinson's song "Unison". Suddenly everything had an instant battlefield feel to it. Kids were hit left and right, until eventually Craig's team had more survivors than Stan's: left on Craig's team were Craig, Tweek, Clyde, Token, and Pip; on Stan's, only Stan, Kyle, Kenny, and Parker.

"KENNY, LOOK OUT!"

The blonde turned his head and was blasted in the face with a rubber dodge ball. He was knocked over by the force of the throw, and fell backwards hard onto his head, cracking it open with blood pooling everywhere. Parker looked down, horrified. "K-Kyle, Stan!"

Stan looked back and saw Kenny's condition, and turned back to the opposing team. "OH MY GOD, YOU KILLED KENNY!"

"YOU BASTARDS!" Kyle shouted, whipping a ball straight at Craig's face.

Parker called the teacher over to help the bleeding blonde boy, not paying attention when Clyde threw a ball his way.

"PARKER!"

The brunette ducked just before the ball made contact and ran after it. Once he had it, he flung it full-force and watched it smack Craig in the face, and smirked to himself. Feeling the adrenaline rushing throughout his body, he rushed over to another forgotten ball and threw it towards Token; he jumped out of the way, and instead it knocked Pip in the back of the head. 'Still hit someone,' Parker thought, grinning, 'so it still counts!' The two made their way to the bleachers and took a seat, Craig trying to stop the blood flowing from his nose, and watched the rest of the game with the other losers.

"Dude, just Tweek, Clyde, and Token are left!" Stan said, smiling.

"We just might win this after all." Kyle motioned for Stan and Parker to grab a ball, and the three launched them at the other three across the line. The audience held their breath as time seemed to slow down, and each ball made contact with one of the three boys, declaring them out. Everyone cheered the winners, and Craig flipped them the bird with an angry scowl.

"Stan's team wins!" the teacher said, clapping. "Well done, boys! That was a great game!"

Stan smiled wide. "Dude, we won!"

Kyle cheered, high-fiving his best friend. "Yeah! We did it!" The two turned to high-five Parker, grinning and cheering for him. The kids on the bleachers rushed down and hauled the green-clad brunette up on their shoulders, cheering and raving about how awesome the game was. Craig and his little group sat back on the bleachers in awe.

Craig glared at the new kid and held his middle finger high. "I am so not happy."

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><p>Parker saw Harbucks coming into view and smiled a little to himself. 'Time for some coffee,' he thought. As he got closer, he noticed that the lights were all off. He raised his eyebrows in confusion but stopped at the entrance anyways. A sign hung in the window, saying that the store would be closed due to renovations. The brunette frowned, and turned back to head for home.<p>

"Hey! Parker!"

He turned around to see who was calling his name to find Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny running his way. Confused, he let them catch up to him, a little surprised to see Kenny there after the Dodgeball incident. The four boys panted and took a moment to catch their breath before finally talking again.

"Dude, you were amazing in gym today!" Stan beamed.

Kyle nodded in agreement. "The best! We haven't played a game that fun in, well…ever!"

"Wait, you guys thought it was really that good?" Parker asked, tilting his head.

Kenny smiled. "Only the best," Kenny replied, giving him two thumbs up. "I may have got hit, but holy shit, that was the most exciting game of Dodgeball we've ever played! Kudos to you, man!"

Even Cartman grinned slightly. "It was okay," he commented. "I just wasn't expecting it to get so intense, you know. Took me by surprise when I got out."

"You are so full of crap, fatass," Kyle deadpanned, giving the chubby teen the 'Are-you-kidding-me?' look.

"Up yours, Jew," Cartman shot back, glaring.

Parker rubbed his arm bashfully, rolling his eyes. "Thanks, guys," he said. "It was actually really fun. Does your teacher usually play music during gym like that?"

"Sometimes," Kenny replied, nodding.

"Hey, didn't you die in class?"

Kenny nodded. "Yeah, but I'm okay now. So, where are you going?"

Parker hesitated, taking in the blonde's odd sentence. "Uh, I'm going home actually. Why?"

"You wanna hang out with us for a while instead?"

"Well…sure, I guess. Where at?"

"How about up at Stark's Pond?" Kyle suggested. "We could probably even jump in the water if it gets too hot. I dunno about you guys, but I'm sweating."

Stan laughed. "Yeah, same here." He looked back at Parker, smiling. "So, you in?"

The brunette thought for a second and finally nodded. "Sure, why not? It's not like it'll be dark out for a long time."

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><p>"AH, FUCK! DON'T DO THAT, KENNY, THIS WATER'S FUCKING FREEZING!"<p>

"COME ON, CARTMAN! DON'T BE A BITCH!"

Stan, Kyle, and Parker sat at the water's edge, laughing at the antics of the blonde and the fat kid. The five of them were starting to get along, considering all that had happened since that same morning. It made Parker happy inside knowing that it wouldn't be as hard to make friends again in a new town. Ever since he moved away, he'd been in a constant state of unhappiness; now that he was starting to get on peoples' good sides, he felt a little better, and let his inner self come through a little bit.

"So, Parker," Kyle asked, looking at the brunette from the corner of his eye, "not trying to sound mean, but…why did you move here of all places?"

He shrugged. "Well, there were a lot of other places we could have moved to, but my dad said he'd prefer to live in a quiet little mountain town for a while. Just to get away from the big city and all those people and the noise."

"I guess I can understand that," Stan said. "I've never lived anywhere but here, but I gotta imagine living in a big city would get pretty annoying."

"It was mostly all the people, to be honest. Too many people in a cramped place, and plus, it was a pretty dangerous area."

Kyle nodded. "Places like that usually do end up pretty dangerous after a while. Was it like, robbery and murders and stuff?"

"Not exactly…" Parker looked up at the sky, taking in the warm, comforting sunlight. "It was more like child abductions and the occasional kill here and there."

"Damn," Stan murmured, imagining what could have happened.

The three were brought out of their thoughts by a wild scream coming from the water. They looked over and saw Kenny atop Cartman's shoulders, pushing the fat boy's head under the water. They laughed when Cartman threw him off and flipped them all off with an angry glare.

"You guys are asses!" he shouted, wading back up to the land.


	3. Chapter 3

Just a quick note: I decided to portray Bebe as a total bitch in this story, because I thought it would suit her :P As for Wendy, she's not a total bitch, but she will have her fits. Okay, on with the story!

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><p>The front door closed softly, a light click echoing through the empty house. Parker squinted through the darkness and flipped the light switch on, illuminating the living room. His dad was still at work, which meant he had the house to himself for a while. Smiling, the brunette made his way into the kitchen and pulled out a bottle of water from the refrigerator.<p>

'I guess today wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be,' he thought to himself, smile growing wider. He looked toward the backdoor. A shadow danced across the door's window, most likely a swaying tree branch in the backyard. Parker stared, concentrating on the shadow; yes, it was just the tree, nothing more. He sighed and trotted out to the living room, and then up the stairs to his bedroom. It was computer time.

He dropped his book bag next to his computer desk and plopped down in the chair with another sigh. "Okay, let's see what we can find this time…"

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><p>Science class found the students bored out of their minds. Parker sat at the table in the corner with Bebe, Wendy, and Butters. The experiment was being explained at the front of the class; the teacher lit a match, dropped it into a triangular-shaped beaker, and placed a hardboiled egg without the shell on top. He explained that if everything went right, and with a little luck, the egg would squeeze itself in without breaking. Some students watched in amazement, eager to try it for themselves, while others (including the brunette) sat bored and unimpressed, thinking of better things to do with their time. Each table was given an egg, and the experiments were started.<p>

"Here," Wendy said, shaving the matches under Parker's nose, "you can light it and drop it in. Bebe and I will carefully place the egg on top."

"Well, what about me?" Butters asked, rubbing his knuckles together.

Bebe smiled. "You can write down what happened and if it worked or not."

"O-Okay," Butters replied, smiling and tearing out a sheet of paper from his notebook.

Parker huffed in annoyance as he struck the match against the box. The flame sprang to life and danced on the match. He sent a mean look at the girls when they told him to hurry, and dropped it into the beaker. He watched as the little flame grew smaller and smaller until it finally put itself, and hummed.

"You know, that's pretty much how it works in real life too," he murmured to himself, staring at the smoke building up inside the container.

Wendy held the beaker while Bebe placed the egg at the top. "What are you talking about?" they asked, annoyed in confused.

The brunette pointed to the dead match. "When a lit match is dropped into a container with not enough oxygen, it'll put itself out." He clasped his hands together and rested his chin on them. "That's like a person trapped in a small room with no windows or vents, and carbon monoxide fills the room. The person will die in a matter of minutes."

Bebe made a face and turned back to the egg. "This isn't death, you freak; it's science. See?" She set the egg on the beaker and watched with wide eyes as the egg wormed its way down the beaker's neck, and finally dropped to the bottom. Upon impact, it suddenly erupted, egg pieces splattering against the glass.

Parker smirked smugly. "And that's what happens when you jump from a building. You fall to your death and your guts splatter everywhere."

Butters turned green in the face. "Ohh boy, I think I'm gonna be sick…" He fell out of his seat and retched in Bebe's lap, causing her to scream and slap him hard in the face. She stood, screaming about how gross that was and how expensive her skirt was, and glared daggers at Parker.

"YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE, WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU!"

"Hey Bebe, nice shade of disgusting! Does it smell as bad as it looks?" Clyde howled, practically dying of laughter.

Bebe looked around the classroom, face red and tears streaming down her face, and ran out of the classroom sobbing with Wendy chasing after her.

The teacher pointed at the smug brunette. "You, there! Come here!" Parker rose out of his seat and walked up to the teacher, face blank and cool. The teacher cracked the biggest grin and patted the brunette hard on the back. "Of all my years teaching in this class, I have to say, that was the single most hilarious thing I have ever seen! You get an A, young man, congratulations!"

Parker laughed. "Thanks, but why?"

The teacher leaned close and whispered, "Because that Bebe girl is such a bitch, and finally got what she had coming for so long!"

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><p>"Hey, kid."<p>

Parker looked up to find Clyde leaning over the lunch table. He blinked in confusion. "Uh, hey. What's up?"

"Is it true that you're the one who made Butters puke on Bebe in science class?"

"Yeah, but I honestly didn't know he was gonna throw up." He took a sip of his diet mountain dew and shrugged. "Guess some peoples' stomachs are stronger than others."

"Clyde, let's go!" Craig came up behind him and pulled on shoulder. "Our table is over there, not here with this freak," he sneered. The two walked away, but not before Craig had a chance to flip the brunette his famous middle-finger salute. Parker threw one back his way and glared.

"What a dick," he grumbled, taking another long swig of pop. He sat and stared across the cafeteria at Craig, who stared back with his middle finger held high and a mean scowl on his face. They sat like this until the lunch bell rang, and Parker angrily marched off to his next class. He was never happier to be in a class full of girls until that afternoon.

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><p>"Okay class," the teacher cheerfully said, "today in Home Economics, we will be making rich chocolate cake. Doesn't that sound fun?"<p>

"Do we get to eat it afterwards?" a boy's voice asked. Surprised, Parker looked around and spotted Kenny sitting a few tables away, orange hoodie tied around his waist once again.

"Oh no, not us women. We have to watch our figure, otherwise men won't find us attractive and we'll spend all our days ugly and alone. But you two boys can eat as much as you want since you don't have social pressure to be thin and perfect."

"Two?" Kenny asked, taken aback.

"Yes, you and Parker. You two are the only boys in this class, after all." Kenny glanced over at Parker, surprise written all over his face, but smiled anyways for not being the only guy in an otherwise all-girls class. He gave him a thumbs-up and mouthed 'Are we the luckiest guys here or what!'

"Okay girls, and boys…ah, let's split into groups of two and get to work!" She looked the class over and hummed, obviously trying to think of how groups will work with only two boys. "Um, Kenny and Parker…since you two are the only boys in this class, why don't you two work together? And if you need help you can just ask one of the girls?"

"Okay," Parker said. He walked over to the fridge and gathered ingredients while Kenny prepared the oven and necessary dishes. When everything was collected, the two set to work perfecting the mix until it was time to pour it and bake it. Kenny slipped on the oven mitts and pulled out the oven rack while Parker set the pan of batter on it and closed the oven door. Then they smiled at their work.

"So, Parker…I didn't know you decided to take Home Ec.?"

The brunette shrugged. "Eh, why not? It seems easy enough, plus I don't have to deal with that asshole Craig."

Kenny chuckled. "Yeah, he can be a real douche sometimes." He sat down on the floor and crossed his legs Indian-style. "He has his good moments though, however infrequent they are. Honestly, he is a really nice guy, but he has to like you in order to be nice like that."

"How would you know?" Parker asked, sitting on the floor next to him.

"Me and him are on good terms. Not exactly friends, but not total enemies." He smirked when the brunette beside him scowled at the floor. "I take it you two don't get along?"

Parker shook his head. "Not a chance," he replied, crossing his arms. "I didn't even do anything to the bastard and he hates my guts for like no reason! It's like, 'What the hell'!"

The blonde nodded, grinning. "Don't worry buddy, he'll chill out once he gets to know you. So, I have to ask…what's with the clothes?"

Parker looked down at his attire: red skinny jeans clung to his legs, while a shredded white and black Skrillex shirt practically hung off his right shoulder. Like the day before, his neon green headphones sat around his neck. He shrugged, not really knowing what to say. "What? I like dressing differently."

"Well you sure stand out," Kenny snorted. "By the way, who's Skrillex?"

"Why don't you look him up after school?"

"I don't have a computer anymore."

The brunette thought for a second. "How about we head to the library after school, and I can show you there?"

Kenny nodded. "Sounds good to me, I don't really wanna go right home anyways."

"Why not?" Parker asked, looking up at him.

"Between my mom's constant screaming and my dad always being drunk, it's not very fun going right home every day to listen to all that…"

"Oh man…I'm sorry."

The blonde smiled and shook his head. "Don't be, it's not your fault."

The two sat and talked for a while until the cake was done. Parker grabbed the cake out of the oven and set it on top while Kenny turned the oven off and ran to the cabinet to get some frosting. Together they spread chocolate frosting all over the cake, practically drooling when the sweet scent hit their nostrils. They held back the urge to tear it up just long enough for the teacher to give them their grade, and after that the cake was gone in a flash.

"You know," Parker said, wiping his mouth with a napkin, "it's a really good thing we have gym next."

Kenny laughed and nodded. "Hell yeah it is!"

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><p>Finally done with that chapter, yes! Don't forget to leave a review or else Craig will flip you off too :D<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

"This is BULL CRAP!" Cartman jogged along, wheezing and trying to keep up with the other students. He'd never really liked gym class to begin with, and running laps around the track just added insult to injury. Being as big as he was, it was only natural that he'd be slower than the others. He groaned and wheezed, "W-Why does the gym t-teacher hate me s-so?"

Kyle, overhearing Cartman's bellyaching, slowed his pace to stare incredulously at the whining fat kid. "Are you kidding me right now? He doesn't hate you, fatso; he's trying to get us all in shape. Since when is that hate?"

"Shut up, Jew!"

"Make me, lard ass!"

"Guys, come on. Every day you two do this." Stan snickered and said, "You guys act like an old married couple!"

Cartman scoffed. "Oh that is such a faggy thing to say, Stan."

"Yeah dude, what the hell!"

Parker turned to Kenny, eyebrows raised. "Do they always act this way?"

"Pretty much," the blonde replied, grinning. "You have to admit, though, it is pretty entertaining."

The brunette chuckled. "I guess it is pretty funny." He looked back to see the redhead and the fat kid bickering, while the raven-haired boy next to them is looking away with a 'Fucking seriously?' look on his face. He couldn't help but laugh again and turn back to the blonde beside him. "They're not really angry at each other though, right?"

"Not enough to ruin their friendship," Kenny said, shaking his head. They jogged past a group of girls and Kenny whistled, seeing one girl's short-shorts had writing across the butt. One of the girls stuck their tongue out at him and he laughed, focusing back on the track. Parker gave him a weird look.

"Dude, not cool."

"What?" Kenny asked, shocked.

"That's not cool to whistle at girls for the slutty clothes they wear," Parker explained. "Besides," he said, looking back at the group of red-faced girls, "none of them are even all that great to look at. But then again, that's just my opinion."

Kenny smirked and elbowed the brunette lightly in the ribs. "Oh, I get it! You're still hiding in the closet, eh?" He laughed at the unamused look on his friend's face. "Don't worry, I'll keep your secret until you're ready to come out. So…is there anyone you have a crush on? It's Craig, isn't it?"

Parker snorted and rolled his eyes. "Oh yes, absolutely, Kenny. My secret passion for Craig burns with the white-hot intensity of a thousand suns, and I only insult him so viciously because I secretly crave to get inside his pants."

The blonde grinned. "Wow, that's pretty gay dude."

"Fuck you," the brunette laughed.

The gym teacher blew the whistle, making everyone stop and look. "Alright everyone, good hustle! Let's do even better tomorrow! Just a quick announcement: starting next week, you will be required to bring and wear your gym uniforms. Anyone without their uniform will be marked down every day until they bring it in. Okay now, back to the gym, kids; today we'll be playing floor hockey."

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><p>The two boys sat huddled around one computer, waiting for a video to load. Kenny had been waiting all day to finally hear what this Skrillex guy's music sounded like, and the loading screen was making him all the more impatient. He bit his lip, waiting.<p>

"You know," Parker spoke up suddenly, "a lot of people don't care for this kind of music."

"Why not?"

The brunette shrugged. "Beats me. I think it's addicting, myself. But there is one little thing about it that I can't stop thinking about…"

Kenny turned to look at him fully, perplexed. "What's that?"

"Skrillex is a clumsy kid," Parker said simply. He looked at Kenny and grinned wide. "He keeps dropping the bass."

Kenny gave him an even more confused look. "What?"

"You'll see what I mean."

At last, the video was done loading and the music started playing. It took the blonde by surprise when a little girl's voice started singing choppily, and he sent another confused look at the boy beside him. Parker shook his head and pointed at the screen, silently telling Kenny to pay attention. The girl's voice stopped and was replaced by a piano playing, then it returned, singing the same unintelligible lyrics, and suddenly a loud scream of "CALL 911!" flooded the library. Kenny's mouth fell open when indeed the bass did drop, surrounding him with an amazing love for new music. He smiled and declared, "I think I just got a boner!"

"I'm glad you liked it," Parker chuckled once the song was over. "Let's see those Disney channel kids try to pull this out their asses."

Kenny nodded in agreement. "What song was that again?"

"First Of The Year," the brunette replied, grinning. "Also known as 'Equinox'. It's one of my favorites. I like all his music, and other music like this. Dubstep rules!"

The blonde smiled. He looked up at the clock hanging on the wall: it was only a little after three. He looked out the window and saw how bright and sunny it was, thankful that the snow hadn't started falling yet. "Hey," he asked, "what are you doing this weekend?"

"Ah, I don't know actually," Parker replied, shrugging. "Most likely I'll be helping my dad finish unpacking and cleaning up the new house. Why do you ask?"

"I thought maybe we could hang out again for a while. You know, with Stan and Kyle and Cartman." He gave the brunette a lopsided grin and rubbed the back of his head bashfully. "You seem really cool, and we like having you around."

Parker was surprised to hear Kenny say something this sweet, but he was happy all the same. Smiling, he said, "I like being around you guys too. It's almost like having my old friends with me again…" He looked away, thinking. "I could…I could probably ask my dad if it'd be okay for the afternoon. But you guys would have to come meet him, so he doesn't get all overprotective of me."

"Why would he do that?" Kenny asked, cocking a brow.

"I'm his only kid, you know? After the accident with my sister, he's…well, he doesn't like to just let me go with strangers he hasn't met yet."

Kenny frowned, realizing what the brunette meant. "Oh, I'm sorry…do you wanna talk about it…?"

Parker shook his head, taking a deep breath. He was on the brink of tears. "Nah, it's…it's fine. I don't wanna bring you down about something nobody could have stopped. She's in a better place now…" He sighed and wiped away a stray tear, and turned back to face the blonde. "Sorry, I should probably get going back home. It was fun hanging out with you though." He smiled, trying to push away the sadness from moments before. "Do you have a cell phone?"

"Yeah."

"Here…" Parker ran up to a table, ripped a corner off a piece of paper, and scribbled his phone number down on it and handed it to Kenny. "Call or text anytime, I'll always answer. Just make sure you tell me it's you so I don't get all confused," he said, smiling. "I gotta get going, so I'll see you later, Kenny." He picked up his backpack and waved goodbye to the blonde, and headed out through the doors. Kenny was left standing in the middle of the room, smiling and waving back.

* * *

><p>The week came and went rather uneventfully. Bebe and Wendy were furious at the brunette for the egg experiment incident; not like he really cared anyway. Craig still sent him death glares and the middle finger from across the cafeteria, and Parker sent them right back. He and Kenny were bonding more through Home Economics class, and even Stan, Kyle, and Cartman were hanging out with him more during gym and after school. Kenny had texted him during the week and, as promised, Parker always replied back. He'd even given his number to the others, and the five of them were quickly growing close like brothers. Cartman had even defended him one day when Craig and his group came over to start some crap. Needless to say, Parker was extremely surprised.<p>

It was finally Friday – well, Friday afternoon, quarter after two, to be exact. The group sat idly by the gym doors, talking and laughing and waiting for the bell to ring. They were planning out what they would all do during the weekend: head down to the arcade, maybe go see the newest movie at the theater, or have a sleepover and play video games all night. As they were getting down to the last details, the teacher walked up to them and reminded them not to forget their gym clothes next week, and walked away to remind the other students.

Parker raised his eyebrows. "Gym uniforms?"

Stan nodded. "Yeah, it's no big deal. Just some black shorts and a white t-shirt, nothing special."

"We won't have to shower, will we?" the brunette asked.

Kyle shook his head. "No, not unless we want to. It's not really a rule that you have to, unless maybe you throw up on yourself or something."

"Oh, okay cool." He looked up at the clock: only five minutes of class left. He stood up with the others and waited, staring up at the time. Five…four…three…two…RING RING RING! Everyone cheered and rushed through the doors, eager to get home and get the weekend started. The five boys separated to get their things out of their lockers, and met back up at the school's entrance and headed over to Stan's house to hang out a while.

* * *

><p>"Hey Mom, me and the guys are here," Stan called out upon entering the house. He kicked off his shoes and headed to the kitchen, while everyone else dropped their stuff and crowded the couch. Parker shifted his weight uncertainly and made himself comfortable on the floor, looking off to where Stan disappeared to. Kenny, sensing his out-of-place feeling, crawled onto the floor and sat by him to ease some of the awkwardness. The two exchanged a smile as the raven-haired teen came back into the living room with five cans of soda, and tossed one to each of his friends.<p>

"Thanks, Stan," Parker said, cracking open the tab and knocking his can back. He hiccupped and set his drink up on the table, smiling.

"Oh Stanley, I almost forgot to…" Stan's mother walked out into the living room and noticed Parker sitting on the floor, and smiled. "Hello, young man. What's your name?"

"Hello ma'am, my name is Parker." He smiled up at Mrs. Marsh and waved. "I'm Stan's newest friend. It's nice to meet you."

She smiled. "Well, it's nice to meet you too, Parker." She turned back to her son and asked, "Is this the boy you've been talking about, son?"

Stan nodded, smiling a little. "Yeah mom, he's totally cool. Do you think it would be okay if we all had a sleepover this weekend?"

"I don't see why not. Where will you be at?"

"I can most likely convince my parents to let us have it at my house," Kyle spoke up. "They're usually okay with it."

Mrs. Marsh nodded. "Alright then. You boys have fun, and don't get into any trouble."

"Okay."

She turned and walked back into the kitchen. When the coast was clear, Parker looked up at Kyle nervously. "We won't be out after dark, will we?"

"Not that I know of," Kyle replied. "Why?"

"Just wondering…"

Cartman huffed and drank his soda. "So when are we doing it?" he asked impatiently.

"How about tonight?"

"Sounds good to me," Stan answered.

"Me too," Kenny agreed.

"Okay," Cartman said.

Kyle looked at the brunette on the floor. "You in?"

Parker nodded, grinning again. "Definitely. But I have to head home and get some stuff, and you guys have to meet him before I can go. It's a dad thing."

"Okay, let's go," Kyle replied. He and the other three boys rose from their seats and followed the brunette out the door. The only thing on their minds was how strict his dad really was. They were almost afraid to find out.

* * *

><p>Ugh, pain in the butt chapter right here. Okay, next chapter is where things start getting interesting! :D Stick around to find out, and don't forget to leave a review~<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

Umm, yeah...expect the unexpected, that's all I'm going to say. :)

* * *

><p>The five boys walked through the brunette's front door, chatting away. Parker told his friends to wait in the living room while he went upstairs to get an overnight bag, and ascended the stairs in a blur. The four boys stood by the door, looking around silently and admiring the interior of their new friend's house. They suddenly heard a car door slam, loud and squeaky, and jumped. The look on all their faces was: 'OH FUCK WE ARE SO DEAD!'<p>

The front door swung open, revealing a tall, tone woman in a short, screaming-red cocktail dress. Her bleach-blonde hair was curled and cascading down her back, while her bright blue eyes sparkled like the stars in the midnight sky. To top it all off, her black stilettos gave her an extra few inches of height. She stared at them, staring at her, and smirked.

"What are you handsome young men doing in my house?" Her voice was husky and sultry, and a little deep. What a woman!

"Uh, ah, um…" Stan sputtered, lost for words. Cartman could only stare, almost positive that he was drooling. Kyle was trying to focus on something else, not wanting to come off as some pervert creep. Kenny, on the other hand, put on a sexy face and upped their game.

"Oh, I'm sorry miss," he purred, "I was sure there was only one teenager who lived here. How old are you, may I ask?"

The blonde woman giggled, red-nailed hand slightly covering her mouth to obscure her smile. "Too old for you, I'm afraid."

"Oh now, that's nonsense." He winked at her, smirking his best sexy-devilish smirk. "You can't be a day older than eighteen, my lady."

"Hm, aren't you sweet," she said, smiling.

"Okay guys, I'm ready to - " Parker stopped dead in his tracks, staring down at the scene below him, mouth agape. "Uh…I can explain…"

The woman stared up at Parker, bewilderment in her blue eyes, and then at the messenger bag across his chest. She then turned back to the boys, rage spreading across her delicate features like an unruly weed. "WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!"

The boys shrunk away when she stormed past them in a fury, and all but shit their pants when she returned, toting a loaded shotgun. They screamed and made a run for the door, only to be blocked by an angry and terrified brunette. "PARKER WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"

"GO BACK UP TO YOUR ROOM!" the woman screamed, taking aim at the terrified boys.

"NO! THEY'RE MY FRIENDS!"

"THEY'RE HERE TO TAKE YOU AWAY!" She cocked the gun and took aim, finger on the trigger. "I WON'T LOSE ANOTHER CHILD, PARKER! NOT TODAY!"

"DAD! STOP!"

"'DAD'!" the boys screamed, frantically looking from Parker to the blonde woman across the room. "WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK IS GOING ON!"

The brunette pushed his friends down to the ground as the woman fired; if they hadn't moved, they would have suffered at least a painful graze across the side of the face. The brunette looked up angrily at the blonde in the red dress. He pushed himself up and calmly (if quite angrily) strode over to the other side of the room.

"It's okay Dad," he said, frowning, "these guys are my friends. I met them at school. They aren't taking me away; I'm just going to a sleepover." He pulled the gun out of his father's hands without so much as a struggle, and set it down on the floor. "You won't lose me Dad, I promise. I'm just going to my friend's house for the night."

The blonde stared down at his son, eyes welling up with tears, and sniffled. "W-Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I was in my room, and you were just getting home."

Parker's father looked back up at the other boys and let tears fall. "I am SO sorry, boys! I thought you were trying to take my baby away from me!"

The group shook their heads, positive that they'd all shat out their voice boxes. They all exchanged a look when the 'woman' wasn't looking that screamed, 'HOLYSHITIALMOSTFUCKINGDIED!'

"Well," Parker said as nonchalantly as possible, "Dad, I'd like you to meet my friends." He looked back and waved them over, smiling. "It's okay guys; gun's on the ground, it's safe now." He waited until they'd all plied themselves off the carpet and turned back to his dad. "These are my friends: Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny. We have gym class together, and they make sure I'm happy in school. They're the best friends anyone could ask for."

The blonde in the dress smiled. "It's very nice to meet you boys. Uh, listen…I'm sorry I almost shot you all. It's a little unsettling seeing my only child going away with a group of people I don't know, especially after what happened…before…" He sighed shakily and carefully wiped away the tears that streamed down his face. "But! Now that I know who you boys are, you're certainly welcome anytime. I promise next time I won't bring out my gun." He smiled and hugged Parker tightly. "Just be safe, hun. It's dangerous after dark."

The brunette patted his dad's back comfortingly. "I know, Dad; we'll be back at the house before the streetlights come on."

"Good, good." He let go and smiled down at his son, patting his head. "Well, have fun kiddo." He turned back to the group. "You boys better take care of my baby, or so help me - "

"Dad!"

"I'm just giving them some motivation to keep you safe."

Parker sighed and grinned. "I'll be fine." He hugged his dad again gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before heading back toward the door with the others right on his heels. He opened the door and laughed when the guys high-tailed it out of there, and waved at his dad before calling out, "Love you Dad, call you tomorrow morning!" and shutting the door behind him.

Once they were a safe five blocks away, Kenny turned stiffly to face the seemingly-unfazed brunette. He stared at him, unfathomable fear still clouded behind his own blue eyes, and hoarsely whispered, "Why didn't you warn us about any of that?"

"What, you mean the gun?"

"And the psycho freak out," Stan added, staring straight ahead.

"And the fact that your dad has deadly aim," Cartman threw in, terror etched into his chubby face.

"And the fact that your dad…is a woman," Kyle whimpered.

Parker shrugged. "Actually, he's not a woman; he's a cross-dresser. Big difference."

Kenny shuddered. "And that little detail completely slipped your mind? I really wish you could have warned us before…"

"Why?"

"Dude!" Kenny stopped and gripped the brunette's shoulders tightly, staring him in the eyes. "I was FLIRTING! With your DAD!"

Parker laughed, finding the whole situation suddenly hilarious with the absence of violence. "At least you know he likes you best then," he replied, winking.

The blonde sighed and let go of his friend, and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Not the point, man. That was probably the most traumatizing thing I've ever been through." He turned back to Kyle, a wide frown plastered on his face. "Please tell me you have stuff to erase that moment, Kyle…"

"Not exactly," Kyle said, looking over his shoulder. "Maybe if we watch a bunch of movies back-to-back and play games all night, you'll forget it by morning. By the way, Parker," he asked, focusing on the brunette, "if I may ask, why exactly does your dad cross-dress?"

"My mom actually left us a long time ago, and Dad didn't wanna risk another heartbreak, so he took on my Mom's role while I grew up, as well as his own fatherly role. I was still young, so I just thought Mom went to visit Gramma for a while. He looks just like her, so it didn't occur to me that Mom ever left until I was about seven or eight." He smiled a little bit to himself, thinking back to all the childhood memories he and his Dad had, even if there was no real mother in the scene. "By then I was so used it, so it didn't really bother me when he sat me down one day and told me what was really going on."

Everyone was silent, thinking over what their friend had just said. They nodded and continued on, eager to get to Kyle's house. After a few minutes of not-quite-so-awkward silence, Stan asked, "So if you know now, why does he still do it?"

"I guess it's because he's so used to it…plus, he makes an awesome mom," Parker said, smiling. "Plus, he works down at the bar, and he says that there's a lot more business there since he was hired. Of course, nobody knows he's a man, but that's okay." He snickered. "It's not like they can get any anyways."

The four teens looked at him, mouths open and eyes wide. "That's so wrong!"

"Hey, it's true!" the brunette laughed.

* * *

><p>They filed into the redhead's front room, seemingly over the whole ordeal at Parker's house. Kyle's mother and father came downstairs with his little brother Ike, dressed fancy. Seeing this and curious, Kyle asked, "Hey Mom and Dad, where are you guys going?"<p>

"Your father and I are going to a fancy dinner tonight and along the way, we'll be dropping your little brother off at his friend's house. They're having a sleepover tonight."

"Just like us," Stan commented, smiling at Kyle.

"Okay bubby, just make sure you don't cause a racket and destroy the house," Mrs. Broflovski said. She caught a glimpse of the new brunette and smiled at him. "Hello young mister, who might you be?"

"My name is Parker," the brunette politely replied, smiling back. "I'm Kyle's new friend from school. I hope you don't me staying over tonight as well?"

Kyle's mom brightened. "Oh absolutely not, young man! You're so polite and well-behaved, you can come over whenever you like!"

Parker smiled wide. "Thank you, ma'am."

She giggled and rushed her husband out the door, insisting that they'd be late if they didn't get a move on. They bid the boys a good night and rushed out to the car, and drove away. Once they were gone, the boys all grinned wide and each of them scattered. Parker stood and watched as each went about doing something to get the party started: Kyle ran to the kitchen, Cartman moved all the furniture to the walls, Stan dimmed the lights to a very dull glow, and Kenny turned the boom box on full blast and connected his iPod. A catchy quick-paced song started up (which Parker recognized as a chipmunky version of "Blow" by Kesha) and the guys all started dancing and laughing. The out-of-place teen couldn't help but laugh and join in.

"Pizza's coming in half an hour!" Kyle shouted over the music, smiling. He waltzed into the living room and began dancing with his friends, laughing when his arm swung back and made contact with the back of Cartman's head. They all partied hard, dancing and taking the occasional break to get something to drink before running back out to party some more. Eventually, the pizza arrived, and Stan answered the door and thanked the delivery man before dancing his way back into the kitchen carrying two boxes of hot pizzas.

"Eat up everybody!"

* * *

><p>"Hello?"<p>

"Hello bubala, just calling to check up on you and your little friends. How's everything going?"

"Everything's going good, Mom. We ordered pizza a while ago, and now we're playing video games."

"Oh, okay sweetie. Listen, your father and I might just stay out tonight; we've been drinking a little bit and we don't want to drive drunk. Will you boys be alright there by yourselves?"

Kyle smiled. "Yeah, we'll be fine here. I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, Kyle. You boys have fun, and we'll see you tomorrow morning."

Kyle hung up and punched his fist in the air cheerfully. "Yes! We get the house to ourselves all night!"

"Sweet!" Cartman said, eyes glued to the television. He and Stan were playing Mario Cart, and so far, he was in the lead. Stan grumbled a little under his breath but stayed in the game despite the fat teen's gloating. Kenny was sprawled out on the couch while Parker sat on the floor in front of him, acting as Kenny's personal arm rest. He didn't mind it though, he just watched the game between his new friends.

"Oh," Kenny muttered suddenly, sitting up, "I forgot! I gotta run home a second; I forgot my stuff!"

Kyle nodded. "Go ahead, dude, just hurry back."

"Wait!"

Kenny turned, surprised by how loud the brunette shouted. "What? What's wrong?"

Parker suddenly felt embarrassed by his outburst. Shyly and nervously he mumbled, "I-It's dark out…do you really have to go?"

"It's not that far away from here," Stan assured, turning away from the game to smile at the nervous brunette.

"Yeah," Cartman added, "it's only a few blocks away. You can't miss his house; it's a total wreck compared to all the other houses around here."

The blonde shot a glare at the fat boy, and looked down at Parker with a cross between concern and slight amusement on his face. "Would you feel better if you came with me?"

The brunette looked away, face growing warm in embarrassment. "M-Maybe a little bit…"

Kenny chuckled and bent down, and pulled the startled brunette to his feet. When Parker looked him in the eyes, breath held and face pink, he grinned. "Get your shoes on, and we'll head out." The brunette did as he was told, and Kenny turned back to the guys from the door and announced, "Be back in a few minutes, guys." Then he and Parker disappeared out the door and headed down the street.

They walked in silence, Kenny watching the brunette from the corner of his eye, and Parker frantically looking around as if on the defense for an all-out enemy attack. The blonde grinned and shook his head. "You know," he spoke up, making the boy beside him jump, "I'm pretty sure there's no wolves on the prowl tonight, so it's okay to relax."

Parker muttered something under his breath nervously, not yielding to Kenny's advice. Kenny cocked a brow and gently grabbed Parker's arm, making said boy whip his head around in surprise and fear.

"Calm down dude. What's got you so scared all of the sudden?"

"It's…it's just not safe out here at night."

"Why not?" Kenny asked, confused.

"Because," was Parker's only reply. He fidgeted under the blonde's wary eye and practically begged him to keep moving. After trying to get answers out of the other boy, Kenny sighed and decided not to push it until they were back at Kyle's house, so they travelled on until finally, they reached Kenny's house.

"Wait here," Kenny instructed, then vanished into his bedroom. The brunette found solace in the blonde's trashed living room, smiling almost tauntingly out the window at the ever-present darkness. There was still a nagging, terrifying feeling in the back of his mind, but he figured he would deal with it when they stepped back outside, and run like hell back to Kyle's house. Parker was so thankful it wasn't winter yet. He heard a crash from the blonde's room, but stayed put. It wasn't until Kenny reemerged from his bedroom that the brunette raised his eyebrows inquisitively and made his way over to see what happened.

"Junk fell over," Kenny said, smiling a little. "No home invasion or anything, so don't freak out."

Parker pouted in annoyance. "Just because I was flipping out down the street doesn't mean I'll do the same inside a house. And anyway, what fell?"

The blonde stepped aside, allowing the brunette to poke his head into the bedroom and look for himself; a lamp lay cracked on the floor, various magazines toppled all around, and dirty clothes were scattered throughout the small room. Parker wrinkled his nose.

"Lovely," he said sarcastically. "Can we go now?"

Kenny rolled his eyes. "After you, princess." The brunette shot him a warning look and lead the way out into the night.

"So, why are you so afraid of the dark again?" Kenny asked once they were a few houses away. He had his duffel bag hauled over his shoulder and was walking with one hand holding the strap and the other in his jacket pocket, and was looking at Parker expectantly.

The brunette was looking around as nervous as before, obviously trying to feign bravery. "It's not the dark I'm so scared of…it's what HIDES in the dark that I'm terrified of…"

The blonde looked at his friend oddly, wondering what could possibly be hiding that would scare a teen boy so bad. Well, besides the boy's father – that shit was scary! The ghost of a smile tugged at his lips as he pulled the brunette close and walked with his arm around Parker's shoulders, trying to calm the nervous boy's nerves. It must have been working; Parker was paying more attention to him now than anything else. He must have felt embarrassed again, because his cheeks were starting to glow again.

"Thanks Kenny," Parker murmured, reaching up and playing with the blonde's sleeve.

"Anytime, Parker," the blonde replied, smile showing proudly. 'At least he's calm now.'

* * *

><p>Not what you guys were expecting, am I right? :D So what will happen next? And just what is our little Parker so afraid of out in the dark? Find out next chapter ;)<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

The two entered Kyle's house once again, making sure to lock the door behind them. Kenny looked around the living room: nobody was here for the moment. He scurried into the kitchen to check, and found nobody there either. 'Strange,' he thought, 'I would have expected Cartman would be here at least…' He trotted back out into the living room and motioned for Parker to follow him. They ascended the stairs and made for Kyle's room, opened the door, and sure enough the other three were there in varying degrees of undress. They looked up and waved.

"AY SHUT THE DOOR!" Cartman bellowed, pulling his pants off one leg at a time.

"Why?" Kenny snorted, leaning against the doorframe. "Nobody's home fatso, remember?"

"DON'T CALL ME FAT KENNY!"

The blonde smirked and rolled his eyes. "Ooh, I'm so scared!" he whined sarcastically. He elbowed the brunette next to him laughing. "He's harmless. So are you guys getting ready for bed or what?"

Stan nodded. "Kinda, yeah." He pulled off his shirt and tossed it back into his bag, and pulled on his pajama shirt. "We're not going to sleep yet, just getting comfy. It is after ten, after all."

"Yeah dude, we won't be actually sleeping until the sun rises, at least," Kyle said, pulling off his socks. He gathered all the blankets off his bed and made his way downstairs (nearly tripping and falling down the steps from all the fabric in his face), and dropped them all in a heap on the couch. The others followed him down shortly after, all but the blonde and the brunette dressed for sleep.

"What's this for?" Parker asked, pointing to the blanket pile on the couch.

Kyle smiled and picked out his favorite blanket, and wrapped it around himself. "Comfort; just because we're not sleeping yet doesn't mean we can't be comfortable."

Parker nodded, understanding what he was saying. "Oh, okay." He smiled and reached for his own overnight bag. "I think I'll go change too," he said. He was halfway up the stairs when he heard close footsteps behind him. Curious, he turned and saw Kenny following at his heels with his bag as well.

"Hope you don't mind me joining."

"Ah, no, of course not," Parker lied, trying his best not to care. His cheeks lit up, calling him out on his own lie. Kenny could tell something was up, but he didn't ask what until they reached the redhead's room. He shut the door, much to Parker's displeasure, and turned to face the uncomfortable brunette.

"Okay, what's up?"

"Nothing," Parker snapped. He spun around and dropped to the floor, opening his messenger bag and retrieving his pajamas: one long nightshirt.

The blonde across the room raised his eyebrow and opened his mouth to say something, but decided to let it go. Instead, he rummaged through his own bag and pulled out some long pajama pants and a short-sleeved shirt. He pulled off his jeans and replaced them with the soft pajama bottoms, and as he pulled his shirt off, he caught sight of something red on the other boy's left hip. "Hey," he asked a little loudly, "what is that?"

"What is what?" Parker asked, jumping slightly and pulling down his nightshirt.

'That looks more like a nightgown to me,' he thought, holding back a grin. 'That thing stops just above the knee.' He stalked over to Parker and pointed to his hipbone, not wanting to freak the kid out by pulling his shirt up. "That thing on your hip; what is it?"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," Parker stuttered, face flushing. "There's nothing there, Kenny. Hey, let's go back downstairs, huh?" With that, he bolted out of the room and could be heard flying down the stairs, and finally smacked hard into the wall down below. Kenny grinned despite his annoyance and joined the others back in the living room.

* * *

><p>"Hey, is he sleeping?"<p>

"Who?"

Cartman nodded his head up at the bundle curled up on the couch. "I haven't heard him say a word for over half an hour. Wake his ass up and tell him sleep is for pussies!"

Kenny gave his fat friend a thumb's up and loomed over the brunette on the couch. Indeed, he was fast asleep like Cartman had guessed; he was curled up into a ball like a cat, legs tucked tightly against his chest and arms poking out between his knees while the blanket was tangled all around his limbs. In all honesty, Kenny thought the sight was actually pretty cute – you know, as far as boys thinking other boys were cute goes. "Nah, he looks too comfortable," the blonde reasoned, taking a seat next to his sleeping friend. "Why don't we just let him sleep this one time?"

"I guess so," Kyle said, turning his head. "At least he managed to stay up past two. I'd say that's not bad for their first sleepover."

"First sleepover here," Stan corrected, nodding. "This is the kid's first week in his town. Usually new kids don't stay up long in a new place, right?"

"That's how it was with my cousin." Kenny stretched tiredly, yawning. "He said he couldn't keep his eyes open and ended up passing out almost immediately after he got to his new friend's house."

Stan looked up at the clock on the wall: it was nearly four-thirty, and the house was still empty. He grinned sleepily and picked himself up off the floor, blanket in-hand. "I think I'm ready to call it a night too. We all bunking in Kyle's room again?"

"Count me in," Cartman replied, getting up as well. He made his way to the staircase and looked back at the others.

"You coming, Kenny?" Kyle asked, stopping to look at the blonde.

He shook his head and pointed down at the floor. "Nah, I'll stay down here and keep Parker company. He was freaking out earlier when we left for my house, so I don't want him to have another panic attack if he wakes up alone in the dark." He smiled and looked down at the brunette: still asleep. "Next time though."

Kyle nodded and followed his friends up the stairs to his room. Kenny looked up the staircase and saw the light go out, and the door left open. Maybe it was for him and the brunette if they wake up and want company? The blonde smiled either way and strolled back over to the couch, took a seat, and sighed. He was actually getting a little tired by now, but he wasn't ready to let the Sandman win. Not just yet, anyway. He lazily looked around the room: the television was still on, the video game title screen flashing, and all the lights were on. At least the volume was down low.

"Guess I should turn this stuff off then," Kenny whispered to himself. He plucked himself off the seat and made for the kitchen. After pouring himself another cup of pop, he flicked the light switch off and went back out into the living room. He turned off the game console and put it away, grabbed the remote, and made himself comfortable on the floor while he searched through late-night television shows for something to watch. After an unsuccessful search, he finally settled for late-night stand-up comedy on HBO.

"Ngh…no…s-stop…"

The blonde turned to look at the sleeping boy, admittedly a little startled. Parker was mumbling in his sleep, and seemed to be running away from something; his legs were twitching and his expression (even in sleep) was one of intense fear. Kenny felt bad for the other boy, so he reached up and rubbed his hair comfortingly. It didn't seem to really affect him, but Kenny felt better for at least trying.

"Don't…please…"

'Poor kid,' the blonde thought, watching his friend with sympathetic blue eyes. 'I wonder what he's running from…?' He looked over to the window and froze. Someone was looking in, watching the blonde and the sleeping brunette. He rose to his feet surprisingly fast and flew to the window; no, it wasn't a person after all. He let out a relieved sigh when he realized it was just the shadow of a tree. He laughed a little to himself for being so paranoid and looked back to his friend. Parker was starting to move around more in his sleep, for he was tangled up even more within his blankets and his nightshirt was riding up his body. Kenny had to admit, though, Parker did have some nice legs for a guy.

'Wait…' He stalked over to the sleeping boy and looked closely; the red thing on his hip was peeking out just enough, teasing the blonde and enticing him to look further. Taking a deep breath, Kenny carefully lifted Parker's shirt a little higher until he was finally able to see the red. It was…a circle with an X through it?

"Why does he have this on his hip?" Kenny wondered aloud. Suddenly he felt that creepy feeling again. This time he KNEW they were being watched. Slowly, he turned his head to gaze back out the window, and saw it: a tall, pale man was looking in, shrouded in shadows. The only thing Kenny could really make out was the business suit he was wearing. He scowled and lunged for the door, flung it open, and glared at the spot where he saw the man; he had disappeared. The blonde looked around but found no one, so he closed the door and locked it tight, and made his way back to the sleeping brunette.

'I'm sure he won't mind sharing the couch tonight,' he thought, grabbing his blanket off the floor and curling up on the other side of the couch.

* * *

><p>Creepy! What does this suited man want, and what does it have to do with the mark on Parker's hip? And what will Kenny do now that he knows? :)<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

Twists and turns (and a little bit of funny) ahead! :D Betcha can't guess where this is all going...or can you? Read on to find out!

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><p>The brunette ran as fast as he could, panting and trying not to scream. He'd been here before: alone in the dark woods, fog hanging heavily all around. Dead tree branches littered the ground, making it easier for the frightened teen to trip and fall. He avoided them with minor difficulty, and kept running as fast as his legs would carry him, all the while looking around frantically for his attacker. A glimpse of white, rustling of leaves, a snap of a twig, and an eerie static sound coming from every corner of the woods. Parker held in a scream as he passed by a flash of white, and hid behind a wide tree to catch his breath.<p>

'Fuck, fuck, fuck,' he thought, fear clutching tightly at his insides. 'Not again…fuck, this can't be happening!' Cautiously he peered around the tree's side; he was met with something tall and white. He screamed and took off running again, only to feel something wrap around his leg and pull hard. The brunette fell on his face and desperately clawed into the ground in some vain hope to escape the being that had him trapped.

"No! NO! GET AWAY!"

Deafening static flooded his ears as the being smiled, its flesh tearing away from where its mouth should have been. Parker squeezed his eyes shut tight and screamed bloody murder.

"NOOO!"

"PARKER!"

The brunette's eyes shot open and he bolted upright, nearly falling off the couch in the process. It took him a moment to register that what he just experienced was a nightmare; a horrible, ultra-realistic nightmare that's been plaguing him for weeks. He realized that he was still safe and sound in Kyle's living room, staring up at a frightened Kenny huddled up on the other end of the couch. Parker groaned and fell back onto the couch. "Dammit! I'm sorry Kenny!"

"What happened?" Kenny asked, scooting closer to the sullen brunette.

"Stupid nightmare…"

Kenny lay on his side next to his upset friend, propping himself up on his elbow. "About?"

Parker looked up at him, aware of just how close he'd gotten. "Something chased me through the woods…I've had the same nightmare for a while. I don't want you to end up getting it too."

The blonde nodded, deciding to leave it at that and not risk making the brunette angry. He smiled tiredly and asked, "Need a hug?"

"N-No, I'm…I'm good…"

Kenny cocked a brow, clearly not buying Parker's horrible excuse for a lie. "You sure about that, dude?"

The frightened boy looked away, cheeks tinting a soft pink. The blonde chuckled a little to himself before wrapping his arms loosely around the other boy, who looked up at him in surprise. He was expecting Parker to bite his head off about the sudden move, but he didn't; he just lay there, allowing Kenny to hold him even though it looked totally gay. The brunette couldn't help but let the corners of his lips curl into a tiny smile as he cuddled closer into the hug. He didn't care if it looked wrong; right now, it just felt so right. Before either of them knew it, he was out like a light and Kenny was left awake, smiling down at the boy in his arms.

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><p>Kyle was the first one to wake up later that morning. He wandered downstairs rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, and passed through the living room and into the kitchen without so much as a glance at the sleeping boys on the couch. He yawned and stretched his arms high over his head, trembling slightly as he stretched. He poured himself a glass of orange juice and groggily made his way back out into the living room, passing by the couch on his way to the stairs. His eyes caught sight of something green, and he turned his head curiously toward the couch: Parker's nightshirt had ridden up his back, showing off his dark green plaid boxers. It wasn't until Kyle tiptoed over to him that he noticed the sleeping brunette was curled up against Kenny's chest, lying comfortably on top of him like a cat would lie on its owner. Kenny's arms were still around him, resting securely and protectively near his waist as if trying to hold him as close as possible. The redhead smiled and crept back up the stairs as not to disturb them and wake them from their slumber.<p>

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><p>"Ooh, Stan! Check this out!"<p>

The group was currently at the mall, walking around and poking into shops to kill time. Kyle stood in front of the Hot Topic store window, looking in at some of the displays within the store. He smiled wide when he saw a new pair of Converse shoes he liked and motioned for his super best friend to come see. Stan grinned when he saw the shoes as well, saying something about checking them out up close, and told the others to follow him inside.

"Why are we in here?" Cartman asked irritably.

"To see what they have," Stan replied. "Look around and stuff, you might find something cool."

The fat boy sighed and crossed his arms. "You're not gonna tag along with those Goth kids again, are you Stan?"

"Shut the hell up, Cartman!" Stan snapped, glaring at him. "I did that once and you still won't let it go! That was back in grade school dude! I won't do it again!"

Cartman shrank back a bit. "Jeez, don't get your panties in a knot…"

Kyle laughed at the bickering between his friends and wandered over to the t-shirt section of the store. Cartman looked through the pants, making faces at the too-small pants he came across. Stan was busy checking out the music and listening to tracks from different albums. Kenny browsed through the piercings and smiled at a few, which left Parker…

'Hey, where did he go?' the blonde thought, looking around. He wound his way around the store, poking his head around corners of isles until finally he spotted the mop of brown hair. Slowly and silently, he crept up behind Parker and grabbed his shoulders, greeting a playful "Rawr!" to the startled brunette. He laughed when the other boy stuck his tongue out, and asked him what he was looking at.

"Uh…"

Kenny looked down to find an entire rack dedicated to girls' panties and bras, and waggled his eyebrows at the red-faced brunette. "Ooh, Parker! I didn't know you were like that!"

Parker only blushed harder and looked away. "S-Shut up Kenny! It's not what you think!" He saw Kenny out of the corner of his eye, looking through the underwear and picking out a few especially girly-looking ones. 'Oh god, why?'

"Hey," Kenny spoke up, "these would look just adorable on you~"

The brunette looked down, seeing Kenny on his knees in front of him, holding up a pair of snow-white ruffled hot pants with a little black bow on the front. His face burned as he swiped them out of his friend's hands and hung them back up with the others. "I am NOT wearing those!" he whispered, glaring at the laughing blonde.

"We'll see about that," Kenny laughed. He was promptly punched in arm and left laughing even harder alone in the underwear section.

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><p>Later that night, Parker was back home in his own house, lying on his stomach on his own bed, watching some show on TV. He wasn't paying all that much attention though; he was tired beyond belief, but kept himself awake just until his dad got home from work. He couldn't risk falling victim to the Sandman yet. No, not yet.<p>

His cell phone startled him out of his haze, blaring his "Kill Everybody" ringtone. He looked down to see that he had a new text message. Confused, he opened it up and saw the sender: it was Kenny.

_Hey dude, you feeling okay? – Kenny_

The brunette furrowed his brows and replied back to him.

_Yeah I'm alright. Why? – Parker_

_Just wanted to make sure you weren't having another nightmare. Hey, can I ask you something? – Kenny_

Parker tilted his head.

_Shoot. – Parker_

_Do you know anyone who wears a business suit? – Kenny_

The brunette stiffened suddenly, feeling a chill run down his back. 'Fuck,' he thought. He got up off his bed and moved to the window, and looked out: another dark night, but nobody down on the streets below. He let out a small relieved sigh and went back to his bed. Sitting down on the edge of his mattress, he texted Kenny back with a horrible feeling growing in the pit of his stomach.

_Listen, whatever you do, don't go outside. Don't look out your windows. Don't even go near the front door. Just stay inside and keep your guard up. – Parker_

_Why? – Kenny_

Parker sighed in frustration and dialed the blonde's number. It rang once, twice, three times…

"Hello?"

"It's hard to explain, but just do it. Since you don't have a computer you'll have to come over tomorrow so I can show you something. Please, just don't go outside in the dark!"

He could hear Kenny sigh through the phone quickly followed by creaking bed springs. The blonde said nothing, but something could be heard in the background. Was he leaving the house anyways? "Kenny? Kenny! What are you doing!"

"I'm coming over dude, chill."

"But Ken - "

"See you in a few." The line went dead and Parker pulled his phone away from his ear, dumbfounded. Kenny was hiking over to his house, all the way on the other side of town, alone in the dark, probably without so much as a pointy stick to protect himself with. The brunette growled and flung his phone up toward his headboard and raced back over to the window and looked out. So far so good, there was still nothing out there.

"I swear to god, Kenny…" he said to himself, balling his fists in his hair.

…**A Little While Later…**

_That was me knocking at the door. Open up! – Kenny_

Parker slunk downstairs into the living room and looked through the peep-hole; yes, it really was Kenny on the other side. His dread lessened significantly, but his guard was still up like a brick wall. Quickly he opened the door, pulled the blonde in by the front of his shirt, and slammed the door shut behind him in a panic. Then he turned to his friend, anger etched across his pale face.

"Why did you choose NOW to walk over?" he demanded, crossing his arms.

Kenny shrugged. "I didn't feel like waiting," he deadpanned. "What's the big deal anyways? It's just some guy in a suit. Probably another religious nut trying to pass along his beliefs."

"If only that were the case," Parker sighed. He motioned for Kenny to follow him, and the two headed upstairs to the frightened boy's room. The brunette shut the door behind him, dropped down into his computer chair, and pulled up YouTube. "You ever hear of 'Marble Hornets' before?"

"Marble-what?" Kenny asked, giving the frightened boy a strange look.

Parker pulled up the first video entry and told the blonde to pay attention. The two watched in silence (Parker was more or less listening for noises around the house, and Kenny was waiting to see what had the cameraman so scared), until the camera peered outside a window to the front porch. Kenny gasped a little when a tall pale man in a suit was shown; the same man he'd seen the night before! He watched on as the man turned to face the camera: in the split second between looking at the camera and being caught up in darkness, Kenny swore he saw no discernible facial features on the tall man. Was that even possible, or was it a trick of the light? He looked down at Parker in shock, speechless.

"What is that thing…?"

Parker looked up at him, brown eyes wide. "That's the Slender Man."

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><p>Dun dun dunnn! So Kenny saw the Slender Man. What happens next? We will see~<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

"Slender Man?" Kenny echoed. "What is he exactly?"

"Bad news," Parker replied, pausing the video. "Very bad news." He turned in his chair to face the now-frightened blonde and sighed. "I didn't think he would follow me…and I really didn't think he would set his sights on my new friends. I'm so sorry, Kenny…"

Kenny looked at the computer screen again; Slender Man was peering in through the window, looking directly at the camera. As the blonde thought, there were no facial features. Just blank. He looked back down at the brunette, shocked and scared and suddenly growing angry.

"So you're telling me this guy's been stalking you before? And your friends?" He grabbed Parker's shoulders and frowned angrily. "What the hell is going on?"

A loud slam made them both jump. Parker put his finger to his lips and opened his bedroom door a crack to look out into the hall. He heard noises coming from downstairs. Turning back to Kenny, he whispered softly, "Stay here" before sneaking down the stairs to see who was there. When he saw blonde, he let out a relieved sigh; it was just his dad. Letting go of any previous fear, he descended the rest of the stairs to greet his father home from work.

"Hi Dad," the brunette said, smiling.

The man turned around and smiled down at the boy. "Hey kiddo," he said. He squatted down to give Parker a hug and squeezed tight, happy to be home with his child. "Work was tough tonight," he said, taking a seat on the couch.

"How so?"

"Oh, all kinds of perverts tonight." He waved his hand back and forth as if swatting away a pesky fly and grimaced. "Men getting drunk and trying to play Ass-Grab-Tag with me over the counter. Thank goodness the owner stepped in, otherwise I'm afraid I might have given each one of those pervy bastards a black eye. Your father doesn't take that from anyone unless he likes them enough!"

Parker laughed, nodding. "I know, Dad. At least your shift is done tonight, right?"

"Absolutely!" The man looked up at the clock and hummed. "Listen sweetie, would you be terribly upset if I went to go see an old flame for tonight? I promise I'll stay home tomorrow and we can spend all day together doing whatever you like!"

"Go ahead," the brunette said, smiling. "You deserve a little fun after a rough night! I don't mind at all."

The blonde man got up and hugged the brunette tight, thanking him over and over. "Oh, thank you hunny! I'll be back in the morning, okay? Will you be alright here by yourself?"

"I'll be fine," Parker replied, grinning. He waved his father off until the car was down the street and out of sight. Once he was positive that he was alone again, he locked the door up tight and trotted back up the stairs to his bedroom, closed the door, and turned to find Kenny glaring at him from atop his mattress. "What?" he asked, confused and a little uneasy under Kenny's harsh gaze.

"Why didn't you tell me or the others about Slender Man?" he asked, crossing his arms.

Parker walked over and took a seat next to the angry blonde. "I didn't want you guys to avoid me," he admitted, staring down at his feet. "If it makes you feel any better, my old friends didn't find out either, until…"

"Until what?" Kenny asked dangerously softly, narrowing his eyes.

Parker shrank away, avoiding the other boy's eyes. "They either showed up on the news or were never heard from again…"

The blonde stared at his upset friend and sighed. Throwing himself down onto the bed, he calmly (and a little angrily) mumbled, "Well, it's too late to stop it now."

"Not quite."

"What do you mean?" Kenny asked, looking up at Parker. "If he hunted down your friends before, what makes you think you can stop him from tracking me and the others down too?"

"Simple." Parker flopped back next to his friend, staring up at the ceiling expressionlessly. He folded his arms under his head and thought for a moment before finally saying, "I just have to stay away from you guys for a while. Hopefully he's just after me this time around; I think the only reason he got my friends was because I knew them since we were kids."

Kenny stayed silent, closing his eyes. He huffed and mumbled something under his breath before glancing sideways at the boy next to him. "What if it doesn't work?"

"If it doesn't work, then I'll make sure he gets me before he even touches any of you guys." He propped himself up on his elbows and looked at Kenny, determination and fear and something else shining behind his chocolate-brown eyes. "I won't lose anyone else to this thing, especially you. I promise you that, Kenny."

The blonde blinked, truly touched by his friend's words. His face flushed a little and he smiled. He threw an arm over Parker and pulled him closer, grinning when the other boy's face turned pink. "Thank you," he murmured, hugging the brunette tightly.

Parker blushed harder and hugged Kenny back just as tight. "Anytime," he whispered. He nestled his face into the crook of Kenny's neck, feeling rather peaceful instead of frightened. The sound of the blonde's breathing relaxed his mind and made him smile a little, grateful for the other's company and touch. "You know," he spoke up softly, "I still can't risk you going out in the dark…"

Kenny hummed. "What choice do I have?"

"I can keep you here until morning," Parker suggested.

The blonde looked down at him, worried. "Won't your dad freak out?"

Parker shook his head, effectively tickling Kenny's neck with his soft hair. "Nah, he left for the night. Besides, with you here I won't be so scared to fall asleep." He smiled up at the blonde. "Win-win situation, don't you think?"

"I suppose so," Kenny chuckled. "I didn't bring any pajamas though - "

"You can borrow some of mine if you want?"

The blonde chuckled again, flooding the brunette's ear with a soft vibration resonating from his throat. "Only if you don't mind," he negotiated. "Or else I can just sleep in my boxers, if that's okay with you?"

"I don't mind," Parker said. He reluctantly pulled away from the hug, earning a slightly confused look from Kenny. "I think I'm gonna throw some pajamas on real quick, though." He smiled before making for his closet. He opened the doors and stepped in, looking around for the perfect night clothes. Finally he reached up and grabbed another long nightshirt, this one a long button-up lightweight shirt. He told Kenny to wait while he ran down the hall to bathroom, and came back a few minutes later to find Kenny shirtless and sprawled out on the bed. He smirked when the brunette gave him a look that said 'Move your ass!' and shook his head.

"There's more than enough space for both of us," Parker laughed, "now scoot over!"

"Only if you sleep with me," Kenny said, smirking when Parker's face lit up. "Not like that! I meant actually SLEEP, like fall asleep with me." He patted his chest, smiling. "You know you want to~"

Parker laughed and crawled into bed next to the blonde boy, and curled up next to him, resting his head on Kenny's chest. "Fuck you, dude," he laughed, feeling the other boy smile victoriously.

"What, no romantic dinner and a movie first?" Kenny joked, sticking his tongue out. He felt a swift kick to his shin and hissed in pain while Parker laughed. "What the fuck!"

The brunette saw a dangerous gleam in Kenny's eyes when he suddenly smiled down at him, and scrambled to get away. Unfortunately for him, Kenny's reflexes were quick; he grabbed his wrist when he flew up to get away, and flung him down onto his back and sat on him, pinning his wrists up above his head. Parker stared up at Kenny, pale and trembling, and started freaking out a little on the inside. "W-What are you gonna do to me…?"

Kenny smirked evilly and leaned in close to the scared boy's face. When his lips were less than an inch away from Parker's, he whispered, "I'm gonna make you scream…" And with that, he reached down with one hand and began mercilessly tickling Parker's ribcage and stomach, earning loud screams and bouts of laughter from the no-longer-afraid boy beneath him.

"N-NO, STOP! PLEASE!" Parker screamed, jerking under Kenny's weight for some means of escape from his tickle torture. "OH MY GOD! K-KENNY, PLEASE STOP! BAHAHAHA I CAN'T STAND THIS!"

Kenny snickered. "Nope! What do we say?"

"I-I DON'T KNOW!"

"Wrong!"

"PLEASE!"

"Not even close!"

"I SWEAR TO GOD KENNY I WILL BITE YOUR DICK OFF IN YOUR SLEEP!"

Kenny immediately let go of him, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. "NO TEETH!" he screamed, hands flying to protect himself. "That's not sexy, that just hurts!"

Parker laughed hard, sides hurting from just moments before. "You should know I wouldn't do that, Kenny," he laughed. "Besides, that'd be really gay if I had your junk in my mouth. Gross, dude."

Kenny eyed him suspiciously. "I still don't trust you."

"Dude, relax," the brunette said, grinning. "It was just a joke, I swear. Wait…did you hear something?"

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><p>So how are y'all holding up so far? :) Let me know what you guys think~<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

There was a creaking on the stairs. Parker looked at Kenny, eyes wide with terror. Kenny stared back horrified, and looked to the bedroom door; oh god, the handle was moving! He stared back at the brunette, ready to scream. Without a word, Parker grabbed the blonde's wrist and yanked him off the bed and ran for the closet, and silently shut the door behind them. He held a hand over Kenny's mouth and pressed his ear to the door, barely breathing and listening hard. There was definitely something out there, and whatever it was, it was coming for them.

Suddenly the door swung open, and Parker tumbled forward and fell flat on his face. He quickly looked up and came face-to-face with his worst nightmare: the Slender Man. He stood tall, pale, and faceless, yet still managed to crush the young brunette's soul with a single horrifying smirk.

"OH GOD KENNY RUN!" Parker screamed, reaching back and grabbing Kenny's wrist and hauling ass out of the room. The two flew down the stairs and crashed into the front door, Parker screaming and on the verge of tears, and Kenny panicking just as hard.

"OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR!" Kenny screamed. He looked behind him; the man in the suit was at the top of the staircase, still smiling and sending unbearable terror through him. "HURRY UP!"

"I-I CAN'T!" Parker cried, trying to wrench the door open. "IT'S STUCK!"

The Slender Man descended the stairs slowly, a growing uproar of static flooding the brunette's ears. He fell to his knees, covering his ears and trying not to cry, while Kenny proceeded to violently try to get the front door open. Halfway down the stairs. Shit! The blonde growled and pulled at his hair, trying to think. He looked down at the brunette and back up at the faceless being; he was almost at the bottom of the stairs. Bending down, he picked Parker up roughly by the arms and told him to brace himself. The two ran full-speed at the window, covered their face and chest, and crashed through the glass and rolled across the front yard, relatively unharmed. Before the brunette could even speak, he found himself being pulled up by his wrist and dragged down the street by a terrified Kenny. He picked up the pace in an attempt to escape the Slender Man's grasp, and didn't stop until the two reached Kenny's house. Only then did he look down and realize there were little shards of glass stuck in his shirt and legs. Thankfully his foot was only just starting to bleed from a sliver of glass sticking out slightly; otherwise they were as good as dead.

Kenny was panting hard and looked ready to fall to pieces. He didn't dare peek out his window or go near the door. Instead, he gently pulled Parker along to his room, but stopped when said boy hissed slightly in pain. "What's wrong?" he asked worriedly.

"M-My foot," Parker replied, looking down. Blood was already spotting the carpet where he stood. "I got glass stuck in my foot when we went through the window…it hurts…"

The blonde nodded and, without warning, picked the brunette up bridal-style and carried him to his room. Parker clung to the blonde tightly, afraid he would get dropped, and whimpered when Kenny gave him a mischievous look. When the two were finally in Kenny's bedroom, Kenny kicked the door closed and gently set Parker on his bed. He then ran to the closet, pulled down a tank top, and tossed it to the injured teen.

"Put that on," he said softly, eyeing Parker's current shirt: littered with tiny shards of glass. He could easily get cut in that thing. Making his way to the door, he said, "I'm gonna go look for some tweezers to get the glass out of your skin. Just change your shirt and don't move; I'll be right back." He sent a little smile at his friend before vanishing beyond the bedroom door.

Parker waited until he was sure the blonde was gone before unbuttoning his shirt and peeling it off. Carefully he set it on the floor and pulled Kenny's tank top over his head, and waited. Looking down, he realized he wasn't leaving much to the imagination anymore. He shrugged it off and flopped backwards onto the mattress, wishing so desperately that all of earlier that night was nothing but a horrible nightmare. This couldn't be happening, not again!

Kenny poked his head back into the room and smiled. "Good news; I found some tweezers," he announced. He crept back into the room and closed the door behind him, listening. Nope, nothing. Sighing in relief, he turned back around and sat on the bed next to Parker. "Ban news is, they're pretty small, so it might hurt…a lot."

The brunette looked up at his friend with sad eyes. "Just get it over with," he mumbled. He set his left leg on Kenny's lap and grabbed the pillow hard, waiting for the glass to start coming out. Pain surged through his leg as Kenny began working, pulling out the little shards as quickly as possible an apologizing when the brunette started whimpering that it hurt like hell. Kenny was just thankful that Parker decided to shave the day before, otherwise it would have been ten times worse.

"A-Are you done yet…?" Parker whimpered.

"Almost," Kenny replied. He smiled down at the pained teen, realizing just how hurt he seemed to be: his eyes were squeezed shut and leaking tears, he was biting his bottom lip, and his knuckles were turning white from how hard he was holding onto the pillow. And then there was the fact that his back was arched and he was panting softly; probably to try to calm himself down. Kenny tore his gaze away before Parker could notice him staring and blushed.

'Just concentrate on the glass,' he told himself. He grabbed the glass in the brunette's foot and warned him before pulling hard and swift, finally ridding the brunette of his problematic wound. "Okay, next leg." The brunette gave him his other leg, and Kenny went to work as before, pulling out the glass and apologizing when he heard his friend hiss. When he was finally done he sighed and smiled down at Parker, telling him to relax. He vanished from the room and reappeared moments later carrying some peroxide and bandages. After Parker was fixed up and bandaged, he hugged Kenny tight and thanked him for everything, practically crying into his chest.

"Hey," the blonde said softly, tipping his friend's chin up, "what's wrong?"

Parker sniffled and wiped his eyes. "I-I'm so sorry K-Kenny…I never m-meant to get you c-caught up in any o-of this…" He took a shaky breath and buried his face back into Kenny's shirt, crying softly. "Y-You're gonna get k-killed and it's a-all my f-fault!"

Kenny could feel his heart breaking and hugged the crying teen tight, rubbing his hair soothingly and shushing him softly. "Please stop crying, Parker," he whispered sadly. "I'm not gonna die, but even if I do, it wouldn't be your fault. I promise." He rested his chin on the other boy's head, staring straight ahead. "People die; it's a fact of life. And if it turns out that my time has come already, well…you'll have a guardian angel to look after you and protect you."

The brunette sobbed. "I d-don't want an angel! I want you!"

"I know," Kenny murmured, still stroking Parker's hair. "That won't happen for a long time anyways, okay?" He pulled the other boy away for a moment and smiled at him. "Just please try to calm down, hm? Everything will be alright." He wiped away the tears from the brunette's eyes and chuckled softly before saying, "You know, crying isn't a very good look on you. You look better when you smile." He rested his forehead against Parker's, staring into his eyes with a slight smile on his face. "Will you smile for me? Please?"

"I-I can try…" Parker sniffled again and stared into Kenny's blue eyes and smiled a tiny, shy little smile. He could feel his face flush when he realized that Kenny was holding his hand and blinked, but smiled a little wider. "Like that?"

Kenny nodded. "Just like that." He gave Parker's hand a gentle squeeze before rubbing their noses together cutely. He smiled when the other boy's face turned bright pink and pulled him down onto the bed, holding him close. "Now let's try to get some sleep, 'kay?"

Parker hesitated before mumbling, "Okay," and snuggling his face into the crook of Kenny's neck. "Goodnight Ken."

"Goodnight Parker," the blonde murmured, smiling. "Sweet dreams, kiddo."

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><p>Kenny's such a good friend, isn't he? :) How will Parker handle being apart from his friends now that the Slender Man is in the picture? Will he go after them as well, or is his only target Parker now? And how will Parker's dad react when he sees the broken window and his son covered in cuts? Stick around to find out :D<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

Wow, listening to Skrillex really gets one into the writing mood. Especially if there's violence or fear involved...or maybe that's just me. Dunno, but it works :B Sorry about the break, but here's chapter ten! Enjoy!

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><p>Parker walked home the next morning in Kenny's tank top and an old pair of jeans with his nightshirt packed away in a plastic bag. He glanced down at the sidewalk, remembering the events from the previous night, and grimaced; there was no way he would ever feel safe again in his own home. He only hoped that the others would be safe from the faceless creature, especially Kenny. If anything happened to him… The brunette shook away his negative thoughts and quickly approached his house. He stopped on the front porch and inspected the damage done on the window: either they were going to have to call someone for a replacement, or he'd need a hell of a lot of glue. He sighed and twisted the doorknob and pushed hard, and went flying into the living room and smacked into the floor.<p>

"Well ain't that some shit?" he asked no one in particular, flat on his face.

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><p>The brunette heard the door open some hours later. He counted down the reaction time to himself: three…two…one…<p>

"PARKER!"

He sighed and rolled off of his bed, and headed for his bedroom door. He opened it and peered down the staircase at his livid father, and waved. "Hey, Dad. Have a nice night?"

"Would you care to explain how the window broke and why there are dents on the back of the door?"

The brunette shrugged. "Big-ass rats in this town," he joked, grinning when the blonde man crossed his arms. "Okay look, I know you're pissed - "

"That doesn't BEGIN to cover it," his father cut in angrily.

" – but I can explain. You see…" He thought for something to tell his dad as not to freak him out. "I was having a nightmare, and I must have been sleepwalking again! Otherwise, why else would the door be bashed in and the window shattered?"

Parker's dad looked a little less upset, but it was still noticeable. "I was worried maybe there was a break-in or something. You remember what happened last time…"

"I know, Dad." He smiled a little and walked down the steps to meet his father, and gave him a big hug. "That didn't happen, I promise. This is a quiet little mountain town, remember? There's hardly any crime around here."

The blonde man didn't seem all that convinced, but he smiled anyway, glad that his son was at least safe. "Well, alright." He looked back at the window and sighed. "I guess I'll go call for a replacement. After all, it's just a window, nothing special." He smiled back down at the brunette and scampered off into the kitchen to make the call.

'I can't believe that worked,' Parker thought, smirking. 'At least this way we won't have to move again…Dad can't find out.'

"Hey," his father shouted from the kitchen, "do you think he'd let me pay with a good time tonight?"

"DAD, GROSS!"

* * *

><p>"Okay, here's your peppermint white chocolate mocha, kid."<p>

"Thanks." Parker took his coffee and sipped at it immediately, ignoring the odd stare of the cashier and the burning sensation trickling down his throat. He handed the guy a five and said, "Keep the change," before heading out through the door and walking the rest of the way to school. He let his mind wander back to Saturday night, and how close he and Kenny came to being Slender-food. Despite the tiny grin that crept onto his face, he still felt scared; if it happened then, it could happen again. Only next time, they wouldn't be so lucky. Sighing, he trudged onward, eager to get the day over with. Of course, he knew it would be hard without his friends by his side.

'I wonder how Kenny's handling this,' he thought, taking another sip of his coffee.

"H-Hey! Wait up!"

"Huh?" The confused teen turned around to find a blonde boy running at him, panic written all over his face. His hair was a mess and his shirt was poorly buttoned, and by the looks of it, he needed a lot more sleep. He stopped next to the brunette and panted heavily from running. Nervously he asked, "W-What time - nngh! - is it?"

Parker pulled out his phone and checked. "Uh, it's only a few minutes after seven. We still have a while before class starts." He looked back up at the paranoid blonde and smiled a little. "Calm down okay?"

The other boy jerked slightly and nodded. "O-Okay…" The two began walking toward the school, an awkward silence hanging about them. Parker glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and asked, "Tweek, right?"

"Nngh! H-How did you know m-my name?"

"Gym class, remember?" The brunette smiled a little bit, trying to relieve the other boy's fright. "Dodgeball last week. I threw a ball at that Craig kid's face and gave him a bloody nose."

Tweek nodded, suddenly remembering. "O-Oh yeah…that - gah! – that was intense. But p-pretty fun, too." He smiled at Parker, pulling at the hem of his shirt. "Y-You know, you're not as b-bad as Craig keeps s-saying…"

The brunette cocked a brow at the blonde and sipped his drink, thankful it cooled down some. "Oh? And what does he say, exactly?"

Tweek suddenly tensed up, realizing what he just said. "Uh…"

"Ya dun goof'd, Tweek. I think me and him are gonna have a nice little chat during lunch today." He nonchalantly shoved his coffee under the panicking boy's nose and asked, "Want a sip? It's peppermint white chocolate mocha. Real good stuff."

* * *

><p>Science class rolled around rather quickly, much to Parker's displeasure. He sighed as he walked through the classroom door, and took his seat near Wendy, Bebe, and Butters. The girls were still pissed at him, and showed it by glaring daggers and whispering things to each other when they thought he wasn't paying attention. Butters, on the other hand, was completely fine with him being there; he said hi when he sat down and asked how his weekend was, to which the brunette politely answered (with a lie) that it was pretty good. The two were chatting away, happy as can be, when their teacher walked in. Everyone stopped what they were doing to look up: false, alarm, it was a substitute.<p>

"Hm, okay then class," she said in her weird foreign accent, "it seems that your teacher did not leave any schedule for today, so I suppose you can talk quietly or work on other homeworks you might have."

Parker smiled. 'Cool, no classwork today,' he thought cheerily. He looked down at Butters' papers to find he was getting a head-start on his homework from earlier classes, and decided it was best not to bother him. So he reached into his jeans pocket and turned his music on low, and slipped his green headphones over his ears to space out. When he looked up at the time, he caught a glimpse of the girls across the table; they were furious that he'd covered his ears, so he sent them a smug little smirk and set to work doodling in one of his spare notebooks. After a few seconds, however, he felt a violent pull on his headphones and looked up. Bebe was half-laying across the table, trying to rip his headphones off with a beyond-pissed-off expression on her face. Parker raised his eyebrows as if to say 'Really bitch?' and scooted his chair back out of her reach.

"You think you're so cool because you can wear your headphones and pretend nothing ever happened, huh?" Bebe spat furiously, still trying to climb the table.

"Uh, no. I think I'm pretty cool because I know how to properly tell someone what I think of them."

"Oh yeah, mister cool guy? What do you think of me then, hm?"

Parker felt his lips curl into a cynical smirk. "I think you're a big fat bitch, plain and simple."

The girl screamed, trying to throw off Wendy (who's been holding her back the whole time). She pulled herself on top of the table and flew at Parker, tackling him to the floor and knocking his glasses off. She sat on his stomach, punching and slapping and slamming the back of his head into the floor, screaming all the while. Anyone who even looked like they were ready to step in was immediately attacked with unoccupied chairs. She scratched the brunette's eyes with her long nails and screamed as loud as she could, "I'M A BIG FAT BITCH HUH?"

Calmly, Parker stared up at her, face bleeding, and replied, "Yes, yes you are. The biggest, the fattest, and the bitchiest. Now can you get off? All your weight is making it hard to breathe."

Bebe lost what little self-control she had left; she stood up and began kicking the side of Parker's head as hard as humanly possible, glaring when said boy barely even made a sound. It wasn't until the teacher ran back into the room with the principal and the school cop that she stopped momentarily to realize what she was doing. When she saw the cop standing in the doorway, she started bawling her eyes out and wailed, "HE STARTED IT!"

The principal hummed, looking her over and then looking down at the bruised and bloodied boy on the floor. "As convincing as that sounds," he said, laying the sarcasm on thick, "it would seem that he's suffering from actual hits. You, on the other hand, are completely unharmed." He nodded at the cop, who in turn marched up to Bebe and grabbed her shoulder, and escorted her down the hall. When she was out of sight, the principal walked over and helped Parker up to his feet. "Are you okay, son?"

The brunette nodded, wiping the corner of his mouth. "Yeah, I'll be fine." He looked around for his glasses and found them lying forgotten on the table. He slipped them back on his face and winced when the metal made contact with his scratches. "It's nothing serious, just need to rinse it off. Should be fine after that."

"You are a brave kid, son. Why don't you come with me down to the nurse's office and she'll patch you right up?"

"What about class?"

The man chuckled. "We'll write you a pass. Now come along." He let Parker gather his things, and led him down the hall to the nurse, with all of the class gawking after them.

* * *

><p>"Hey, did you hear?"<p>

"Hear what?"

Kyle sat at his lunch table with his friends, speaking barely above a whisper. "Parker got the crap beat out of him in science class."

Kenny's ears perked up. He looked up at Kyle, anger glowing behind his eyes. "Do you know who did it?" he asked, fingers curling into shaking fists.

"Bebe and Wendy is what I heard," the redhead replied, nodding. "Mostly Bebe though; I heard from Butters that Wendy was actually trying to hold her back."

"Where is he now?" Stan asked worriedly.

"Down in the nurse's office, I think." The redhead and the noirette looked up in surprise when Kenny rose out of his seat suddenly. His face was a cross between anger and worry. He turned and ran for the cafeteria doors, ignoring the others' calls after him.

'If I don't end up killing that bitch myself, she'll be lucky as fuck,' Kenny thought, jogging down the hall. He passed classroom doors, some open and some not, and ignored everyone who hollered at him; he was on a mission and was damn sure not going to stop for anything. He turned a corner and saw the office come into view: little miss bitch was crying her eyes out while the principal called her parents. The blonde grinned spitefully and rushed past to the nurse's office, and walked in as calmly as he could. When he saw the nurse jotting down notes on a clipboard he cleared his throat, effectively getting her attention. "Uh, is Parker in here?"

"Oh, why yes he is. Are you his friend?" Kenny nodded. She shook her head a little, tsk-tsking. "Poor thing got in a scrap, but he's healing up quite nicely." She smiled and stood up. "Would you like to see him?"

"Please?" Kenny asked, voice shaky.

The nurse led him down a short hallway into a small room. He saw his friend sitting upright in a squishy-looking chair and couldn't help but smile wide when Parker looked up at him and waved. The nurse smiled and said, "I'll leave you two be" before returning back to her desk down the hall.

The brunette smiled at the blonde. "Hey there," he said. "I take it you heard about what happened, eh?"

Kenny walked over and sat on his knees by Parker's side, frowning. "That bitch really got you good…what did you do?"

Parker shrugged. "Hell if I know, man. She must still be mad about that whole thing last week when Butters puked on her or something." He smiled again, and winced when his cheek started throbbing. "Ah, she really nailed me. You know, for a girl she can hit pretty good."

"Why the hell didn't you hit her back?" Kenny asked, upset.

"Dude, I don't hit girls."

Kenny sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm pretty sure if a girl is beating on you, you have a right to hit her back. You know, like self-defense and all."

Parker shook his head. "I still wouldn't hit her back; I'd try to pin her down or push her off or something, but I just don't believe in putting my hands on another girl. It's how I was raised, you know?" He patted the blonde's shoulder and chuckled a little at Kenny's annoyed expression. "Hey, at least I'm okay though, right?"

"Sure, if you call being scratched and beat all to hell 'okay'." Kenny gingerly touched his friend's cheek, frowning. "If that's the case, then you're just peachy."

The brunette raised an eyebrow and grinned goofily at the upset blonde. "Really? Who even uses that word anymore?" he asked, laughing.

The blonde rolled his eyes and finally cracked a grin. "Fuck you, dude."

"My body is ready!" Parker exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air and arching his back to thrust himself in Kenny's face. "Just be gentle!"

The two boys cracked up laughing, amazed at what was coming out of the other's mouth. Kenny was glad that his friend was alright for the most part, and Parker was just glad that Kenny was starting to feel better and relax about all that had happened. He quieted his laughing slightly and reached over to wrap his arms around the other boy. "Thanks for coming to check on me," he said sweetly. "Sorry I worried you…"

Kenny grinned a little and hugged his hurt friend back gently, afraid of causing any accidental harm if he squeezed too hard. "Don't worry about it," he replied. He pulled back and smiled at the brunette, sticking his tongue out between his teeth. "Just next time, try to push back, alright?"

"Will do," Parker said, nodding. "I might not be back in time for Home Ec., but I'll for sure be back for Gym. That reminds me," he added, tapping his chin with his finger, "I have your clothes in my locker with my gym uniform. I'll bring it with me to class." He smiled again, cheeks turning a slight shade of pink. "Thanks again for letting me borrow your old clothes. And sorry about - "

The blonde put a finger to the brunette's lips, silencing him. He smiled and said, "Don't worry about it, Parker. That's what friends do. As for the other thing…well, it's our little secret, 'kay?"

Parker nodded, smiling. "Okay," he replied. He heard the bell ringing in the hallway and nodded toward the door. "You should get going if you don't wanna be late. I'll see you in gym, Kenny."

"See ya soon, kiddo," Kenny said, crossing the room. He waved and disappeared down the hall, leaving Parker smiling and pink in the face.

"Yeah, see ya…"


	11. Chapter 11

Ooh, there will be a little shock to this chapter, but nothing too bad. Just giving y'all a heads-up!

* * *

><p>Kenny sat alone in Home Economics that afternoon. He was still thinking about how beat-up Parker looked, and he felt bad that he couldn't have been there to help. 'That bitch will pay,' he thought. When the teacher noticed the brunette's absence, she questioned Kenny, who in turn told her about the incident that took place earlier. She nodded and ended up pairing him with some super-feminist. He wrinkled his nose and practically cheered when the bell rang to go to next class. He trekked back down to the nurse's office to find Parker coming out, an ice pack held against his swollen cheek and quite a few bandages covering the scratches around his eyes. The blonde felt his heart drop when he noticed how wobbly his friend was on his feet, and quickly rushed over to help support him.<p>

"Thanks, Kenny," Parker said, smiling as much as he could manage without wincing. "The nurse said all this should be gone within a week at the most. I guess they're taking care of Bebe pretty good about what she did."

"Yeah?" Kenny and Parker arrived at the beat-up teen's locker, where he fished out the bag with his gym clothes and Kenny's borrowed clothes. They then hurried off to gym class to avoid being late. Of course, Kenny really could care less about lateness; he just wanted to make sure his friend wasn't hurt trying to hurry, especially since he could stumble and trip and, with Kenny's luck, get squashed under the blonde's weight. Thankfully they reached their destination just as the bell was ringing, and spotted the teacher.

"Almost missed the bell, boys," he warned. When he noticed the brunette's condition, he asked, "What happened?"

"Bebe," Kenny replied simply.

"Yeah," Parker confirmed, "she won't be in today. Girl can hit though, that's for sure."

The gym teacher asked the brunette if he wanted to sit class out that day, and Parker took a moment before he answered yes. He quickly trotted into the locker room to put his things in Kenny's gym locker, and told the blonde not to worry and have fun for the both of them. When Kenny was dressed in the proper clothes, he escorted his hurt friend back out into the gym and sat him down on the bleachers before running off to join the rest of the class.

'I hope he gets better soon,' the blonde thought, glancing back at Parker.

Parker watched with a little smile as the kids in class did their routine warm-ups, a few of them occasionally asking about what had happened and why he was sitting out. He looked over everyone before something clicked in his brain: what happened to Craig? And Tweek, for that matter? Token and Clyde and everyone else (minus Bebe) was there, but the duo were nowhere to be found. Shrugging it off, he carefully made his way back toward the locker room to pee. Upon entering, he heard voices arguing: must have been the missing boys. He peered around a corner of lockers to find them disagreeing about something; it looked pretty serious, for Tweek was sitting on the bench in front of the other teen, looking timid, while Craig was standing with his arms crossed and a particularly mean scowl plastered on his face.

"You can't be serious, Tweek. The kid's a punk! I think it's about time he learned where his place is around here…"

"B-But Craig! He's not - nngh! - t-that bad, honest! He seems k-kinda nice when you g-get to - gah! - know him b-better!"

Craig made a face and punched the lockers above the cowering blonde's head. "I don't care! He's a dick, and he needs to be taught a lesson!"

Parker paled and ducked away from the scene in front of him. 'Wow, he's pissed,' he thought. 'I better take a leak and get the hell out of here…' He quietly took a step forward and, not paying attention, smacked into another row of lockers. A loud cuss escaped his lips before he realized his mistake, and made a mad dash back to the locker room door. That's when he felt someone jump on him and wrestle him to the ground, sending his glasses flying again. 'SHIT!'

"Tweek, lock the door! Don't just stand there, hurry up!"

'Well that answers one question,' Parker thought bitterly, watching the jittery blonde reluctantly shut and lock the heavy door. He felt Craig readjust on his back, and felt his hand tangle itself in his hair with his nails digging painfully into the area where he had his head bashed in earlier. He screamed as loud as he could from pain and fear until a hat was crammed to the back of his throat. 'Damn gag reflex!' he screamed inside his head, heaving at the unwelcome object.

Craig glared and flipped off the back of the brunette's head. "Listen here, you little shit: you're gonna learn to be more respectful toward us. Got it?" He yanked Parker's head up by his hair, an almost murderous glow shining behind his eyes. "GOT IT!"

The brunette managed to cough hard enough to dislodge the hat from his throat. "Get fucked, Craig!" he yelled maliciously.

"What was that?" Craig whispered, leaning down to the brunette's ear with narrowed eyes.

Parker glanced sideways at him and grinned, the corner of his mouth bleeding again. "Get. Fucked."

The black-haired teen chuckled before getting off the other boy and pulling them both to their feet. When he was up, Craig slammed Parker's face into the closest lockers as hard as he could, his low chuckle growing into a maniacal laugh. "Are you serious!" he screamed, pulling the brunette's head back before crashing it against the cheap metal again. "NOBODY TELLS CRAIG TUCKER TO GET FUCKED AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!" He threw the bleeding boy to the floor and brought his foot down hard into his stomach, digging in his heel and twisting for good measure. "I'M GONNA TEACH YOU TO WATCH YOUR WHORE TONGUE, OR ELSE!"

"OR ELSE WHAT?" Parker screamed back, flashing Craig the finger himself and glowering from the cold tiled floor.

The raven-haired boy suddenly smirked evilly and reached into his jeans pocket. Parker's eyes widened when he pulled out a pocketknife and flipped open the blade, and licked its edge. Blood formed where the knife touched. The brunette wanted to scream and run away, but he refused to give the livid teen the pleasure of exposing his fear; instead he put on another scowl and stayed silent.

"Or else," Craig spoke up dangerously softly, leaning down closer to Parker's face, "I'll cut that whore tongue right out from your whore mouth." His smirk grew wider when the bleeding teen's jaw lock, and he whispered, "Do I make myself clear?"

Parker looked over at Tweek: he was pressed tightly against the door, hands on the lock and tears streaming from his eyes. He was too terrified to move. Frowning, Parker reluctantly looked back up at Craig. He could hear Tweek slowly undo the lock, and saw from his peripheral vision that he was slipping out into the gym; probably to get help. "Yes sir," he spat sarcastically, narrowing his eyes.

That did it; Craig snapped. He dropped to his knees in a flash and was fighting to get a hold of Parker's arms. The brunette was freaking out, trying not to scream and still trying to look tough, and somewhere between seeing flashing lights dance behind his eyes and screaming expletives at the knife-wielding boy, he'd managed to punch Craig good and hard right in the nose. He jerked back to protect the rest of his face and with a manic scream, brought the knife down towards Parker's face. The brunette just barely managed to move his head out of the way in time before getting a knife between the eyes.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON IN HERE!" the teacher screamed upon entering the locker room. He was followed by the entire class, all staring wide-eyed and scared beyond belief. He saw the scene before him and instantly turned red like a fire truck; you could even almost see the smoke coming out of his ears, if you looked hard enough. In one swift motion, he was at Craig's side and threw him off of Parker, lifted the (further) injured boy to his feet, and grabbed the knife out of Craig's hand before dragging him out by the shirt, screaming about how he would be lucky if he weren't expelled for this. Parker noticed his glasses lying by the door, and asked Butters to get them for him, which he did. Everyone rushed to see if the brunette was alright, all shouting and asking questions and looking him over. None were more terrified and worried than Kenny, however; he could be seen (and heard) shoving kids out of the way to be at the head of the pack and make it to Parker's side. He saw his friend's conditions and honestly didn't know whether to cry, punch him, or laugh out of relief that he wasn't dead.

"That's it," he said, frowning. He opened his locker, retrieved its contents, and slammed it shut with a force. Then he looked down and demanded, "Let's go, Parker. We're going home early."

The brunette was more than a little unsettled when Kenny gave him a scary look. "You'll get in trou - "

"I don't care." Without a word of warning, he bent down and scooped the damaged teen up and carried him piggy-back style through the locker room door and down the hall. He didn't stop when the teacher called out to him, he didn't stop when the principal warned him of the detention he'd get, and he sure didn't stop when Parker protested and told him to go back. He scowled at him and continued forward, not stopping until finally they were coming up to the brunette's house. He ordered Parker to get out his house key, opened the door, shut it once they were inside, and carried him up to the bathroom. Kenny then set him down on the toilet and went to work retrieving the first aid items.

"Um, Kenny?"

"What?"

Parker cringed at his friend's tone. "Thanks for bringing me home, but shouldn't we still - "

"No," the blonde cut in, looking up at the boy on the toilet. "You're even worse off now than when Bebe got you. Then again," he said thoughtfully, "Craig can be one mean kid…" He pulled out the peroxide and cotton balls, and sighed when he found no bandages. "You guys don't keep Band-Aids around here?"

Parker shook his head. "We used them all up before the move."

Kenny hummed. "I guess this'll have to do, then." He set the bag of cotton balls on the floor beside him and took one out, and drenched it in the peroxide before turning back to look at the beat-up brunette and saying, "Okay, this is gonna hurt like hell, but try to sit still. Okay?"

The brunette nodded and watched Kenny get to work. He wiped the cotton ball over the bleeding corner of his mouth and his cheek, just in case. He carefully removed his glasses and put them on for himself, and groaned. "Dude, you're blind as shit," he said, grinning. He gently wiped the peroxide over the injured boy's scratches around his eyes, feeling his stomach knot up when Parker hissed slightly and whimpered that it burned. He finished up and tossed the cotton ball in the trash bin next to the toilet, and smiled at his friend.

"Okay, you're all done," he said.

"Not quite…" Parker whimpered. He gingerly touched his hand to the back of his head and pulled it back when he felt something warm and wet. His head was bleeding; probably from when Craig dug his nails into his scalp to grab his hair. Fucking Craig. "He scratched my head-hurt from earlier," he said, staring down at his bloody fingers.

Kenny couldn't help but smile a little. "I never heard anyone call it that before," he chuckled. "But anyways, come here and let me check." He pushed the brunette's hair out of the way and saw that there was indeed quite the scratch there. He told Parker to hold his hair out of the way, and poured more peroxide onto a cotton ball and rubbed it thoroughly against the injury. He winced when he heard the boy shout in pain, but he couldn't stop now; it would only hurt worse later, after all. "Okay…there! It's all cleaned up." He smiled and patted his friend's shoulder. "Just be mindful and try not to scratch it, and it should be fine."

"O-Okay." Parker lifted his head up again and smiled at Kenny. "You know, with you taking care of me when I'm hurt like this…well, it's kinda like you're my nurse."

The blonde laughed. "Looks like it, yeah," he said, grinning goofily. "Just don't expect me to wear the little dress and the hat."

"Damn," Parker joked, snapping his fingers in fake disappointment.

Kenny rolled his eyes and laughed. "And I'm supposed to be the pervert?" he laughed. He stood up and held out a hand to help the brunette rise to his feet as well. The two put the supplies away and decided to go downstairs into the kitchen. Once they were there, Parker told Kenny to relax at the table while he got them both something to drink. The brunette reached into the cupboard and got down two glasses, and rummaged through the fridge.

"You drink Coke?" he asked, poking his head up over the door.

"Yeah, love the stuff!"

Parker grinned and pulled out the soda, poured it into the glasses, and put it back in the fridge before strolling back over to the table and handing the blonde a glass. "Here you go," he said. He took a seat next to his friend and sipped contentedly at the bubbling drink, smiling when the bubbles tickled his nose.

"So, can I ask you something?" Kenny asked suddenly.

"Shoot," Parker replied, setting his glass down with eyebrows raised.

The blonde took a long gulp of his Coke, hiccupping after he swallowed. He set his glass down as well and looked the brunette in the eyes. "Why did Craig beat the hell out of you today, anyway? I mean, I don't remember you doing or saying anything that would cause him to flip like that." He pushed his bangs out of his eyes and closed his eyes, thinking. "At least Bebe had a reason; it wasn't a very good one, but still…"

"Yeah…" The injured teen thought back on everything he'd done to the raven-haired boy, and came up empty. He remembered glaring and flipping him off from across the cafeteria, but that was really about it. Maybe it had something to do with Tweek? Even then, though, they only talked and seemed to be getting along. Maybe…

"Do you think it was because of Dodgeball?"

Kenny shrugged. "Could be, actually. But that'd be a dumb reason to nearly kill someone," he said. Another sip of his soda, minus the hiccups. "Maybe he's just going through a hard time with something and he feels angrier because of it."

"No, it's definitely got something to do with me. I heard him talking to Tweek about it."

"What'd he say?" the blonde asked worriedly.

"I need to be taught a lesson and learn where my place is and stuff…"

Kenny frowned. "Well if he has such a problem with you, he can take it up with me first."

"Are you sure?"

"Mhm," Kenny hummed, nodding. "I'll make sure he doesn't lay a finger on you again. Don't worry Parker, I promise I'll keep you safe." He smiled and reached over to wrap his arm around the other boy's shoulders.

The brunette's cheeks grew warmer as he smiled back at his friend. He leaned into the one-armed hug and said softly, "Thanks for being such a great friend, Kenny."

A knock at the door made them both look up in surprise. Exchanging a confused look, the two hurried to the front door. Parker looked through the peephole in the door and saw a scared Tweek shaking on the other side. The brunette quickly opened the door and realized just how terrible the nervous boy looked.

"Tweek, what's wrong?"

"It's Craig! He won't a-answer his - ergh! - c-cell phone, and I c-can't find him - gah! - a-anywhere!"

* * *

><p>Uh-oh, where did Craig go? And on a side-note, whoo! No time breaks this chapter! Stick around for more, next!<p> 


	12. Chapter 12

Sorry it's been so long! I guess this just kinda slipped away from me for a while. Lol oops. Anyways, enjoy! :D

* * *

><p>"Whoa, calm down Tweek," Kenny said. He waved him down to come inside, which the scared boy did after a minute of protesting (and realizing there was no saying 'no'). He dumped himself on the couch, pulling at his hair and looking as if he were about to cry, and whimpered, "H-He hasn't a-acted like this b-before! What if – augh! – what if he's b-been k-kidnapped? Or k-killed! OH JESUS I-I COULDN'T LIVE WITH MYSELF IF HE'S D-DEAD!"<p>

The brunette dropped down next to the panicking boy and grabbed his hands. "Stop that," he said sternly when he tried to tug on his hair again. He managed to get the shaking boy's hands to rest in his lap, and smiled a little to try and relax him as not to have him have a heart attack. "We'll help you find him, Tweek. Okay?"

"B-But what about t-the incident in gym t-today? I-I don't want y-you to get k-killed too!"

Parker sighed and smiled again, reminding himself that Tweek can't help freaking out. "Honestly, it's not a problem. Kenny will be with us to make sure nothing happens, just in case," he reasoned kindly. "Now come on; let's go find your psycho!"

"H-He's not my psycho," Tweek mumbled. The brunette grinned when he saw the boy's cheeks stain pink. "But o-okay, let's g-go."

* * *

><p>"Craig? Craig!"<p>

"C-Craig! Nngh!"

Parker jogged down the street ahead of the blondes, looking through windows and poking into different shops. No Craig so far. He grumbled and shook his back at the blondes, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't think he's in the stores," he said once the other two caught up. "Tweek, did he have any specific places he liked to hang out?"

The shaky blonde shook his head quickly, left eye twitching. "N-No, I don't – gah! – think s-so…he did like to g-go down to Stark's Pond s-sometimes, though. M-Maybe – ergh! – he's t-there?"

"He could be," Kenny agreed, nodding. "We've checked just about everywhere else already. I say we go look."

The brunette looked off into the distance of where the pond was, and frowned a little; it was getting dark fast. There was no way they'd be able to get there and leave before the sun set. He fidgeted and bit his lip, and whimpered, "I-I dunno, guys…it's getting pretty dark out already…"

Tweek's head jerked to the right (damn that had to hurt!) and he let out a short scream. "We h-have to find him!" he shouted, reaching up for his hair again. "W-What if he's h-hurt! Or worse! Gah!" He looked ready to break down and start crying. "P-PLEASE, WE HAVE TO F-FIND HIM!"

Parker's heart hurt seeing the caffeine-addict like this. Looking back to the setting sun, he sighed and looked at Tweek, smiling a little. "Alright, we'll find him. Don't you worry." He held his arms out to give the nervous-wreck a hug, which he gladly took; Parker could just barely see a hint of jealousy cross Kenny's features before the three took off running for the pond.

The three ran as fast as they could, mostly out of fear (Parker and Kenny of running into the faceless tall man, and Tweek of finding Craig too late) until they were close to the pond. Kenny ran up ahead to scout the area, making sure it was safe; once he deemed it alright, he motioned for the other boys to follow him. They looked around the exposed area, but saw no Craig. Tweek was nearly hyperventilating, so Parker pulled him close and rubbed his back in an attempt to keep him calm. Again, he caught Kenny looking over his shoulder with that jealous look in his eyes. The three heard a rustling sound coming from the trees just behind the water, and slowly stalked over to the woods. Parker and Kenny looked around, trying to find Tall, Pale, and Faceless before he found them. Luckily he was nowhere to be found. The duo let out a relieved sigh and kept their eyes closer to the ground. Another rustling made Tweek jump and nearly scream; if it weren't for Kenny clamping his hand over the other blonde's mouth, they might have been found out by whatever was making the noise. Parker braced himself and entered into the shadows with his guard on high alert.

"Found…you…"

Parker whipped around and saw something charge at him. He screamed as he was knocked backwards by the thing's weight, and struggled to get away. His arms were held in place high above his head by the wrists with one hand, and saw a gleam over his head. He tried to focus, and gasped when he finally saw what the thing was: it was Craig! He was grinning like a madman and had an insane look in his eyes similar to the one in the locker room. He was laughing while the brunette thrashed about under him; laughing something so spine-chilling that Parker swore it must have been the Grim Reaper's own laugh. Parker looked up at him, panic-stricken and trying not to show signs of (further) fear, and glared from behind his glasses. In an act of idiocy, he spit on Craig's face, hoping to God that it would give him a second or two to get away. Craig merely laughed harder and used his free hand to wipe it away. His eyes, Parker noticed, weren't his own; were they turning red? He finally lost it when the raven-haired boy flexed his fingers and swiftly wrapped them around the brunette's throat. He screamed as loud and as long as he could before his vision started fading. The last thing he remembered seeing was the two blondes running up to him, before slipping into unconsciousness.

* * *

><p>"Parker…Parker…hey, you awake?"<p>

"Oh Jesus! What if he's…d-dead? Nngh! Craig did c-choke him pretty hard!"

"I know…shit, those bruises look bad. How are we supposed to explain this to his dad?"

The brunette's eyes twitched slightly before opening, finding himself in a totally new and unfamiliar place. He took a moment to register what all happened and looked over to see Kenny and Tweek looking down at him; they looked horrible and pale, especially Tweek. Parker sat up quickly, but fell back down hard, groaning.

"Whoa!" Kenny sat him up much more slowly, keeping his arms around the hurt brunette for support. "You okay, dude?"

"My throat hurts like fuck," Parker whispered hoarsely, clutching at his throat. He felt around gingerly, wincing when his fingers passed over the front of his neck. "Christ, did Craig try to crush it or something?"

Tweek jerked violently and nodded. "I-It looked like it…" He rushed out of sight, leaving the brunette and the orange-clad blonde alone. Parker took a moment to look around, and realized he was in a coffee shop. It certainly wasn't Harbucks, but it was a small family-friendly shop. The brunette liked it here. After a few minutes, he returned, carrying a tall steaming cup and handed it to Parker with a nervous smile. "Here, d-drink this. It's n-nothing fancy, but it might - gah! - help…"

Parker looked down at the cup and smiled: coffee. He gratefully took a sip, letting the hot liquid flood his mouth and soothe his aching throat. A contented sigh escaped his tingling lips and he thanked the twitching blonde, and looked around for a clock.

Kenny, sensing his friend's unease, pulled out his phone and took a look at the time. "It's almost nine," he informed the brunette, and slipped his phone back into his pocket. When Parker whipped his head up to look at him, eyes wide and mouth agape, he smiled and said, "Don't worry; I called your dad a while ago and told him you were with me. He told me to tell you that he'd be working really late tonight and might not be back 'til eleven-thirty or so."

The brunette heaved a great relieved sigh and slumped back into Kenny's arms. He was glad his friend remembered to tell his dad where he was, just in case. He glanced up at the windows and saw a shadow rush past. Chills ran up and down his spine, but he tried to shrug it off as not to scare his friends. Surely the Slender Man wouldn't just waltz into a shop with three kids on the floor and go nuts, right? Or what if it was Craig again, back to finish the job?

Kenny looked up at where Parker was staring, as did Tweek. They saw nothing, however, for the shadow had already passed. The two exchanged a worried look before both surrounding him in a comforting hug. "Want us to walk you home?"

"N-No," Parker stuttered, looking up at them with panic. He feigned calm and sent a smile at them, hoping they didn't catch his stumble. "I'll be fine. I just need a bat or something."

Tweek screamed and pulled at his hair again. "We're n-not –ah! – letting you go alone! I-It's too d-dangerous!"

"He's right you know," Kenny agreed, nodding. "With Craig still out there the way he is, and that other thing still on the loose, we can't risk you getting any more hurt than you already are." He ran his hand through his hair, frowning. "I mean, with Bebe beating the shit out of you in science class, and then Craig nearly stabbing you in gym class…it's just not safe to be out in the dark by yourself."

Parker, feeling as though he were being treated like a child, frowned and staggered to his feet. "I'm not a child, Kenny," he snapped, glaring at the surprised blonde. He turned on his heel and made for the door, ignoring the knot of dread tightening in his stomach. "I can handle this myself."

"Parker - "

The brunette flung the door open and slammed it shut behind him, and began walking down the street, hoping he was going in the right direction. He sighed and scanned the area, fearing what hid in the shadows. 'Stupid Kenny,' he found himself thinking. His eyes stung with the tears that welled up, but he refused to let them fall; instead he angrily wiped his eyes dry under his glasses. 'I don't need to be treated like a six-year-old anymore…I can handle whatever gets thrown at me. I don't need his help!' Echoing footsteps made his blood turn to ice and he froze up, too scared to move. They were getting closer, coming up from behind him. The brunette screamed inside his head 'RUN YOU FUCKING IDIOT!' but his feet refused to budge; it was as if he were super glued to the sidewalk. Closer and closer the footsteps got: only a few feet away now. He was a deer in the headlights. As good as dead. A cold hand grasped his shoulder, but he couldn't scream. He glanced sideways and saw pale white fingers curl into his shirt. It wasn't until the static grew and flooded his ears that he finally managed to emit a strangled scream, and blacked out again.

* * *

><p>Looks like the Slender Man's got Parker...what's gonna happen to him now? Find out next chapter!<p> 


	13. Chapter 13

The brunette's eyes fluttered open as he lay dazed in another building. The light above his head glared off his glasses, making it hard to see. He groaned; damn, even that sounded strangled, too. His head was fuzzy and his sight was blurred, but he could tell he wasn't back at the coffee shop again. A vague thought crossed his mind: if he wasn't with the blondes, then where was he? After what felt like hours, his vision finally cleared enough for him to register that he was back in his own room.

'How did I get here?' he wondered. Slowly he rolled over and ended up falling onto the floor, groaning a little from the pain his head was in. He gradually worked his way into a sitting position and came to notice a glass of water on the table by his bed, as well as a pair of discarded shoes next to his leg. 'Those aren't mine…' A stifled shout could be heard downstairs, expletives flying left and right in a most colorful fashion. Classy. Steps could be heard jogging up the stairs and stopped in the doorway. Parker turned his head and saw Kenny standing there, staring down at him with a cross between extreme relief and annoyance. The blonde calmly walked over to the fallen brunette and sat on the bed above him.

"Glad to see you're not dead," he said, a bit of cynicism lacing his every word.

"Glad to see you're not throwing a party yet," Parker shot back, glaring up at him. He pulled himself to his feet using the edge of his bedside table, and wobbled slightly in place.

Kenny sighed and crossed his arms. "You mind explaining why you just ran out like that?" he asked, shooting a mean look at the brunette.

"I needed to come home."

"So Tweek and I couldn't have walked you back?"

"I didn't need your help getting back."

The blonde cocked a brow and smirked smugly. "Yes, because I'm sure getting knocked out by the Slender Man was a part of your plan. It worked out wonderfully, in case you're wondering."

"Fuck you," Parker spat, flipping him the middle finger.

Kenny's smirk vanished as he stood up and grabbed Parker's raised hand. "Fuck you too," he growled, pulling the suddenly-nervous brunette boy closer to him. He fell back onto the bed with Parker pressed tightly to his chest, and smirked again when the nervous teen demanded he let him go. "Nope," Kenny whispered against Parker's ear.

The brunette blushed and pushed on Kenny's shoulders, trying to get away and out of his grasp. When he heard his friend chuckle under his breath, he reluctantly gave in and laid against the blonde's chest with cheeks aflame. "Jerk," he mumbled, directing his eyes over to the door. When did Kenny close it?

"At least I saved you," Kenny commented, smiling, "and let me tell you what, it wasn't easy."

"What happened?"

Kenny released his friend from his hold and sat up, sighing. He pulled up his jacket sleeve to reveal a giant bloody mark on his arm – it almost looked like a bite mark, but from a great wild beast. Parker stared in awe and fear, and looked up into the blonde's bright blue eyes. He hugged Kenny tightly, burying his face into his friend's shoulder, and whispering "sorry" over and over again. Kenny could tell he was about to start crying, so he smiled and rubbed the other boy's back, whispering that it was alright and it wasn't his fault. When he held the brunette at arm's length, tears had already stained his cheeks.

"Please don't cry," the blonde whispered. He hugged his friend tightly again, giving him a gentle squeeze. "It doesn't hurt anymore; just stings a little."

Parker sniffled and asked, "How did that happen?"

The blonde hesitated before replying, "Well…turns out that the Slender Man DOES have a mouth…"

"He bit you?" Parker inquired, surprised.

"Yeah, sneaky son of a bitch…" He shrugged and laid back down on his friend's bed, stroking Parker's hair absent-mindedly. "I suppose I'm lucky he decided not to kill me. Came pretty damn close, though…anyway," he said, looking back down at the boy on his chest, "he didn't hurt you, did he?"

The brunette shook his head. "No, not unless the static in my ears counts."

Kenny chuckled and ruffled the other boy's hair. "Nah, that doesn't count unless your ears were bleeding. I didn't see any blood when I found you."

"Mm, alright," Parker murmured, staring off into space. His mind was a blank and, admittedly, still a little fuzzy from what happened earlier. He decided not to fuss about it, and instead listened to his blonde friend's heartbeat; it was slow and soothing, like a lullaby. A small smile broke out across his face as his eyes drifted closed, leaving Kenny still up and smiling down at the tired teen.

The blonde chuckled, sending a pleasant vibration down to the calm brunette. "Hey, you can't fall asleep here."

"Why not?"

"We have school tomorrow, and I have to head back home. Sorry kiddo," he said, giving the other boy a lopsided grin.

Parker looked up, terrified for his friend. "No," he barked. "You're staying here tonight, and I don't care what you say." He crawled off of the grinning blonde and went to his closet, rummaging around for some clothes for Kenny. Finally he found some soft camouflage pajama pants and a worn old band tank top, and tossed them at him, smiling. "You can wear those," he said before turning back and looking for some night clothes for himself. He looked and looked, and finally decided to just go with another long nightshirt and his boxers. "Hope you don't mind me not wearing pants."

Kenny laughed. "Not at all."

"'Kay, I'll be right back." He hurried down the hall to the bathroom and reappeared a few minutes later, clad in his long shirt over his boxers, and his socks covering his feet. When he saw that Kenny was also ready for bed, he smiled. "Scoot," he playfully ordered, shooing the blonde to the other side of the bed. Kenny obeyed and gave him some room, and Parker quickly covered his legs with his blanket. "Hey, Ken?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm…I'm sorry about everything that happened today…"

Kenny glanced at Parker; he was staring down at his legs, hands tucked under his knees and looking ready to cry. He frowned and pulled the sad boy close to him again, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "Hey now," he said. He used his free hand to gently grip Parker's chin between his thumb and index finger, and turned his face up towards him, and smiled sweetly. "Don't be sorry, Parker. There's no reason for it." He chuckled and rested his forehead against the gloomy brunette's, staring deeply within Parker's wide, almost-feminine brown eyes. "Just be happy nothing too bad happened. We're both still alright, and that's the way it's gonna stay. So…smile?"

The brunette looked into Kenny's blue eyes and looked away shyly, cheeks tinged a light pink and the corners of his lips turned upward a little. "Alright," he said, letting his smile break free. He directed his gaze back into the blonde's eyes and seemed to blush a little harder. When it hit him just how close he and his friend really were, he jerked away suddenly, surprising the blonde. "Ah, sorry," Parker quickly mumbled before excusing himself and running back down the hall, and locking himself in the bathroom.

"Are you alright?" Kenny called, genuinely worried and a little bit hurt.

Parker leaned against the back of the bathroom door, face pink and hands shaking. "Y-Yeah, just uh, not feeling so good! I'll be out in a sec!" He stepped in front of the mirror and stared in at himself; he looked normal, except for the injuries he'd sustained over the course of the day. 'Why do I feel so weird all of a sudden?' he thought, touching the mirror with his fingertips. His heart beat erratically inside his chest, and breath caught in his throat. The thought of having to share his bed with Kenny tonight made his cheeks flush almost painfully. "Am I…" He blinked and looked back at the door. "Am I in love with Kenny…?"

* * *

><p>I know it was short, but I have something big planned for the next chapter, so I had to end it here! Please don't be too upset...<p> 


	14. Chapter 14

Ooh, this is a long chapter! Alright, this is where things start getting interesting. Enjoy, everybody!

* * *

><p>Kenny looked up and smiled when he saw Parker trot back into the bedroom. The brunette smiled a little and flicked the light switch off, and scurried over and hopped into bed next to the blonde. He was thankful of the dark; otherwise Kenny would see just how hard he was blushing right then. His breath hitched when he felt Kenny's arm worm its way under his neck and pull him closer, holding him so that the brunette's face was nestled against his shoulder. Parker couldn't help but feel safe and wanted, so he relaxed a little and allowed himself to smile, getting comfortable. Kenny's other arm managed to drape itself over his waist, hand resting at the small of his back. Even through the fabric of his blanket and his nightshirt, the brunette could still feel the giant bite mark on his friend's arm and winced; how could that not be in searing pain still? Regardless, Parker eased his mind and focused on that moment: sleeping next to his closest friend, being held so protectively, not a care in the world.<p>

'Maybe being in love with him won't be so bad…' Parker thought with a smile as sleep quickly overpowered his senses.

* * *

><p>"Parker! Time to get up, kiddo; it's time for school!"<p>

The brunette yawned and glanced over at the clock. Its neon red numbers flashed back at him six-thirty in the morning. He groaned and rolled over, throwing his arm over the sleeping blonde teen. 'Wait…" He opened his eyes again and looked down next to him: Kenny was gone!

'Where could he have gone?' he thought groggily. 'Oh, wait…prolly just went back home. Still though, he could have told me…' Parker swung his legs over the side of his bed and yawned, stretching his arms high above his head and trembling a little. He sighed and scratched his head, and pulled himself out of his nice warm bed and dragged his feet over to the closet. He pulled down some clothes, went to take a shower, and came back ten minutes later to his room to find that he had a new text message. Curious, he opened it up and saw that it was from Kenny.

_Morning. Sorry I left last night, wasn't feeling so good. See you in school. –Kenny_

Parker smiled a little to himself and closed the message. "At least he's okay," he mumbled. He slipped on his glasses and looked out the window at the morning sky: bright oranges pierced through the inky blue veil, greeting all who had awakened from their slumber. The smile on his face widened, and he set off down the stairs to put on his shoes and head out to school.

* * *

><p>The bored teen sat in math class that morning, staring out the window. He hadn't seen Kenny yet so far, but he was sure he'd see him before Home Economics. A sigh passed his lips and he looked up at the chalkboard, uninterested in any of this junk the teacher was teaching them. She asked for volunteers to come up and solve the problem, and Parker hid behind his math textbook in hopes of going unnoticed. Unfortunately for him, she called on him first. Grumbling in annoyance under his breath, he drifted to the front of the room and quickly solved the problem. It wasn't that he didn't understand this stuff; it just bored him to no end. The teacher thanked him and sent him back to his seat, where he dropped down and slipped his headphones on.<p>

'Maybe Deadmau5 will make math more fun,' he mused, keeping the volume low.

* * *

><p>Ring, ring, ring! Parker swore rather loudly as he tore down the hall, rushing to get to science class before the teacher locked him out. The door was in sight, and he grinned; only a few feet away. Just as the teacher was walking towards the door, Parker made a flying leap through the doorway and crashed headfirst into Butters' chair, pumping his fist in the air victoriously when he heard the teacher sigh and close the classroom door.<p>

"Thank you for joining us, Parker," he sighed, making his way back to the front of the class. "Alright class, today we will be watching a video. I'd like you all to take out a sheet of paper and jot down at least twenty notes, and every note after that will be worth a half point of extra credit." He brought out the television from the corner next his desk, and started it up. The lights were turned off and the video began.

Parker took his seat and rubbed his head, feeling a bump form where he crashed. Shrugging it off, he opened up his notebook and wrote his name and the video title down at the top of the page. He looked over to see that Bebe wasn't there, and smirked. 'She must really be in some deep stuff,' he thought, quickly scribbling down the first note. 'Hopefully she'll learn not to attack people without reason this time.' Another fact was given in the video, and he quickly jotted it down. Before long, he'd already had his twenty notes and was relaxing and just watching the movie. He was incredibly bored, but figured it was too risky to play his music now. A sudden movement outside the door caught his attention, and he stared dead-on at it: it was…

'Kenny?'

The blonde smiled in at him and motioned for him to come out. Thinking quick, Parker got up and turned in his notes, and asked for a bathroom pass. When the teacher handed it to him, he hurried out into the hall and shut the door quietly behind him. He then turned to face a smiling Kenny, and told him they might as well take their meeting to the bathroom since the brunette had a pass.

"What were you doing out there anyway?" Parker asked, locked in a stall and taking a pee.

"Butters told me you guys shared science class together, and thought I'd come say hi," Kenny replied.

"Why?"

"Why not?"

Parker could practically hear his friend grinning. He pulled his pants back up and flushed, and exited his stall. Turning on the hot water, he turned to look at Kenny: he seemed a bit…different today. The brunette couldn't put his finger on it, but something was definitely different. He pushed the thought away and turned the water off, and dried his hands. "Isn't your teacher wondering where you are right now?"

The blonde grinned and leaned against the wall. "Probably," he chuckled, stealing a glance back at the door. "Eh, teachers at this school don't really come looking for their students anyway. That just means more fun for us kids who skip class and hide out in the bathroom."

Something about that sentence made Parker feel weird. He raised a brow and asked, "More fun? What's that mean?"

Kenny took another look back at the door, then smiled at Parker. "Come here, I have something to show you."

Parker followed his friend to the last stall, the biggest one usually for handicapped kids. Kenny locked the door once they were both inside and turned to face Parker, and let the corners of his lips curl into a mischievous little grin. "Parker…you like me, don't you?"

The brunette blushed and looked away. "Like, how?"

"More than you think I know," Kenny said. He stepped closer to the pink-cheeked brunette, who in turn backed away a step. He found himself backed up against the wall, trapped by a corner. When he looked for a way out, Kenny chuckled and held out his arm to touch the wall and effectively trap the nervous boy. "Am I right?"

"Uh…" Parker looked up at Kenny nervously from behind his glasses. His blush deepened when he saw Kenny staring down at him, eyes half-lidded and smiling. "I-I dunno…"

Kenny chuckled again, this time sounding a bit more throaty than last. He used his free hand to tip the other boy's chin up and stared him in the eyes. "I think you do…" He leaned in closer to the nervous brunette and watched with amusement as the boy squeezed his eyes shut before gently capturing the boy's lips with his own. He pulled away after a few seconds, and couldn't help but laugh when Parker's face turned red like a fire truck. "So?"

"S-So what…?"

The blonde smiled and ruffled his friend's hair. "Do you like me?"

Parker's cheeks burned terribly, and he looked down at his neon shoes bashfully. After a minute or two, he mumbled a barely-audible, "Y-Yes…"

"I like you too, kiddo." The smiling blonde wrapped his arms around Parker and rested his forehead against the other teen's sweetly. "I like you a lot." He looked into the blushing boy's eyes and sighed in content. "Sorry if I freaked you out earlier," he said, closing his eyes. "I just thought now would be the perfect time to tell you how I really feel."

Parker could feel a little smile cross his own face as he looked back up into the blonde's blue eyes. "It was," he whispered.

The bell rang loudly out in the hall, signaling the end of class. The two boys kept eye contact for a few moments longer before Kenny pulled away from the brunette and unlocked the stall door. "See you in fifth hour," he said. He waved with a smile before exiting the stall, leaving Parker blushing and waving after him.

'I guess I better get my stuff and head to lunch,' he thought. He walked out into the hall and sprinted back to science class to gather his things, and wandered the hall for his locker. After he threw his stuff in, he retrieved his English book and an extra notebook before walking to the cafeteria.

* * *

><p>"H-Hey…"<p>

Parker looked up from his notebook to find Tweek standing before him, a nervous look on his face. "Oh, hey Tweek," he said. "Everything alright? You look scared."

"Nngh! I-I always look – gah! – this way. Um, c-can I talk to you f-for a second?"

"Yeah, shoot," Parker said, patting the table for the nervous boy to take a seat. Tweek sat down and looked over his shoulder as if making sure nobody would run up on him and stab him in the back. Parker was confused, but remembered Tweek usually acted this way by default. He took a sip of his diet soda and raised his eyebrows at the boy across the table, waiting for him to say something. Finally the shaky blonde turned to him with wide, glassy-looking eyes.

"A-Are you – nngh! – okay?"

Parker chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine Tweek. You mean from what happened last night?"

Tweek nodded. "Craig really did a n-number on you…"

"Tell me about it," Parker laughed, hoping he could calm the other boy down. "But hey, I'm alright now, I'm not dead. So that's a good thing right?"

"Well yeah…" The jittery blonde shouted and jerked his neck to the side. Damn, that really looked painful. He reached up to his hair, ready to pull, but forced them back down when he saw Parker give him a stern look and shake his head. "S-Sorry…" He looked down to the cafeteria doors and fidgeted in his seat. "I-Is Kenny alright too?"

The brunette nodded, taking another long sip of his drink. "Yeah, he's fine. He just got bit by something, that's all."

"L-Like a wolf, or a b-bear? GAH! OH MY GOD HE'S BEEN INFECTED WITH RABIES AND NOW HE'S GONNA-!"

"TWEEK!" Parker reached across the table and grabbed the screaming boy's shoulders. "Calm down! He's fine, I promise you! He showed me himself, and he says it doesn't even hurt anymore." He replaced his frown with a silly grin, and said, "He said it just tingles. I'm sure nothing will happen."

Tweek's eyes squeezed shut and he apologized quickly, and Parker simply laughed softly and patted his friend's shoulder comfortingly. He knew Tweek was just worried, so he let him know everything would be fine. He knew nothing would happen.

'Well, at least I hope nothing will happen,' he thought, frowning inside.

* * *

><p>All through fourth hour, Parker could only think about Kenny and the bite mark on his arm. He hadn't gotten a chance to really notice it yet today, so he'd have to remember to do that in Home Ec., when Kenny wasn't looking of course. The lesson was the same as the previous day; they were just going over the chapter they'd read in their Lord Of The Flies book, and filling out a worksheet explaining the events that had happened and giving their opinions on what they thought would happen next. Parker wrote down his thoughts on the next chapter, and looked up at the clock: only ten minutes left of class. Finally. The teacher gave them the last of class time to talk quietly and pack up their things, so the brunette spaced out and held his headphones up to one ear and listened to some Knife Party before the bell rang.<p>

"Don't forget, class! There will be a quiz this Friday on what we've learned so far!"

Everyone ran out of the classroom, cheering that the day was almost over. Parker sped off to his locker, threw his books and things inside, and hurried off to his fifth hour class, eager to see his blonde friend and ask him a few questions. When he got to class, he noticed that Kenny wasn't in there yet. A frown appeared on his face, but he took his seat anyway.

'I'm sure he's just running late,' he thought to himself, glancing up at the clock.

The final bell rang for class to start, and the teacher shut the door. Parker's frown deepened when he realized that Kenny hadn't walked through the door, and sighed in disappointment. The teacher smiled and explained the day's activities: today they would be cooking chicken alfredo from scratch, and baking fresh bread to go along with it. The brunette glumly followed the girls into the kitchen area and began gathering the needed ingredients at his post. He filled a pot with water and set it to boil, while he cleaned and cut up the chicken to cook for the dish. When he felt arms suddenly wrap around his stomach, he all but jumped and nearly dropped the knife on his foot. Turning around, he saw it was Kenny, wearing a goofy lopsided grin on his face. The brunette sighed and smiled back at him before giving his blonde friend a giant hug and asking him where he'd been.

"Long story," Kenny replied, grinning sheepishly. He asked Parker what the dish was, and began helping him. "My bite started hurting a little, so I went down to see the nurse. Lots of help, she is…" He poured in the noodles to the boiling pot and sighed. "She said there was nothing really wrong with it, and to try running it under cold water. So I did that, and now I think I'm starting to get a headache." He shrugged and put the chicken in the oven when Parker was done cutting it up. "It's whatever, probably nothing."

"Still, maybe I should take a look at it," Parker suggested, staring down at the bite on his friend's arm.

Kenny nodded and held up his arm for the brunette to look at it, making a face when the other boy's cold hands touched his skin. "Dude, your hands are freezing."

"Sorry." Parker washed his hands under hot water and resumed looking at the injury on the blonde's arm. There was good news and bad news: good news, it looked like it was starting to heal fairly quickly; bad news, it looked really bad, and really painful. Seriously, how did Kenny not scream in pain at all that day? The brunette hummed and told his friend to keep an eye on it, and to tell him if he started feeling weird in any way. The two then went back to preparing their food, chatting casually and smiling all the while. Eventually everything was done, they'd gotten a perfect grade, and they'd eaten their work and cleaned up their station. The bell rang not too long later, and the two were off to gym class.

The teacher saw them come through the doors, and smiled. He asked if Parker was alright and ready to give class a shot, and Parker said that he was. They were waved off to their spots, the teacher took attendance, and the students were sent off to the locker rooms to change. Kenny got dressed with the other guys, while Parker ducked away into a bathroom stall to get dressed privately. He said he was self-conscious when Kenny asked, but Kenny rolled his eyes and playfully called him a liar.

"Kenny!"

The blonde spun around and grinned at Stan, Kyle, and Cartman. "Hey guys!"

Kyle looked down at Kenny's arm and gasped. "Dude what the hell happened?"

"Huh? Oh, that," the blonde said, nodding down to the bite on his arm. "Yeah, I got bit the other night. It's no big deal, I mean…you know, it doesn't hurt or anything."

"How the crap doesn't that hurt?" Cartman asked, furrowing his brows.

Kenny shrugged, giving the trio a sheepish smile. "I dunno, it just doesn't. It did for a while last night but now it's just tingly."

"Did you tell the nurse about that?" Stan asked, eyeing his friend's injury with a sickened look on his face.

"Yeah, she just told me to run it under cold water. It didn't help much…"

They all heard the stall door unlock and open, and smiled at Parker when he came out wearing his shorts and t-shirt. The group took a last few seconds catching up before running out to get their warm-ups started.

"Alright class!" The teacher applauded the students when they were finished with their exercises, and called class pick. The students cheered and each scrambled to their activities of choice. Most of the girls ran over to the volleyball net, while most of the guys picked basketball or the weight room. Stan, Kyle, Cartman, Kenny, and Parker all decided to race around the gym, staying on the outside of the white line that bordered the gym. They started at the water fountain, all down in the starting position. Kyle counted down three, two, one, and off the group ran, sprinting ahead of each other and throwing fake insults around whenever they were passed up by their friends. Stan and Kyle were neck-and-neck, practically pushing each other out of the way, until Kenny sped past them with a raging Parker on his tail. Cartman brought up the rear, actually having a good time and trying to catch up with the others.

"Slow your ass down so I can beat you!" Parker shouted, laughing and running after the blonde.

"Never!" Kenny hollered, peering over his shoulder. He stuck his tongue out and slowed down just enough for Parker to reach him, and then he'd speed up again and leave the brunette in the dust.

"You damn tease!" Parker sped up as fast as he could and was finally close enough to Kenny to touch him. He slapped the blonde across the back and yelled, "TAG!" before rushing past him with a victorious grin. He glanced back to see the others hurrying to catch up and laughed; they would never get him now! Just as he turned his eyes back ahead of him, he saw just Wendy stick her foot out with a mean glint in her eye. Too late to stop, he tripped over her foot and crash-landed onto the floor with a loud yelp.

"That's for getting Bebe suspended," he heard her whisper.

The group ran up to their fallen friend and asked if he was okay and what had happened. Kenny looked up and found Wendy snickering, and scowled. He walked up to her and grabbed her wrist. "Did you trip him?" he asked dangerously soft.

"Now what makes you think that?" she asked, putting on her best innocent face.

Kenny narrowed his eyes, seeing right through her act. He tightened his grip around her wrist, squeezing tighter and tighter until she was screaming in pain. His eyes flashed before he twisted the girl's hand, her scream increasing in volume. "Trip him again," he murmured, "and I'll break it." He finally let go of her and smiled, eyes flashing again. "Are we clear?"

"Y-Yes," she sobbed. She ran back to her friends for security, crying and screaming that it hurt, while Kenny turned and strolled back to his friends, smiling.

The others gave him a nervous look when they saw his smile, but didn't move away. Kenny knelt down and held out a hand to help his friend up. "You okay?" he asked, hauling the brunette to his feet.

Parker nodded and looked back at Wendy; she looked absolutely terrified. "What'd you do?"

"I told her not to mess with you," he replied. Another smile crossed his face and made the brunette's stomach do a flip. "If she does it again, there will be consequences…well, come on guys. Our race isn't finished yet!" He laughed and started walking, prompting the others to follow. The rest of the group exchanged a nervous look before shrugging it off and getting back to running, eager to win.

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><p>Seems that Kenny's gotten a little meaner, huh? Wonder what happens next...<p> 


	15. Chapter 15

The group was in the locker room, laughing and changing out of their gym clothes at last. Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny laughed and joked as they changed, while Parker had ducked away back into the bathroom stall to dress. The four boys were talking about going to catch a movie on Saturday, and threw around a few names to see what the responses were. Everyone had agreed to go see a comedy, but which one it would be was still being debated. Cartman complained that he wanted to see the new Adam Sandler movie, and Stan said he's put it down as a 'maybe'. Noticing the brunette's unusually long absence, Kyle wandered over to the stalls and knocked softly.

"Dude, you okay in there?" he asked worriedly.

"Ah, yeah, I'm fine!"

"You sure? You've been in there for a long time…"

Parker laughed and replied, "I'm taking a dump, man. Beat it!"

Kyle wrinkled his nose and scooted away from the door. "Sick! I didn't need to know that!" He laughed and walked back to his friends, calling out a, "Hurry it up or we'll leave you!" jokingly.

"Pooping?" Kenny asked, laughing.

"Yeah, that's what's been taking him so long."

The bell finally rang, and students cheered as they fled from the locker rooms to run home and end the day. Stan, Kyle, and Cartman told Parker they'd text him later since they had stuff to do at home, and asked Kenny if he was coming with them. He politely declined and told them he'd wait for the brunette, so the others nodded and bid both boys farewell, and headed out the door. Once they were gone, Kenny snuck over to the empty stall and stood on the toilet seat. Grinning and trying to hold back a laugh, he hoisted himself up over the separating wall and peered down at Parker, surprised that the other boy hadn't noticed him yet.

'Oh man, this is too perfect!' Kenny grinned mischievously and screamed, making the brunette practically jump out of his skin. He looked around, terrified, until he heard hysterical laughing. When he looked up and saw Kenny balancing by his stomach, he scowled and yelled at him to get out. Kenny obeyed, howling with laughter and all but peeing himself from hilarity. He laughed all the way to the benches, and stayed laughing until he heard the toilet flush. The lock clicked and the door opened, and Parker walked out looking furious. As he was washing his hands though, he finally gave in and started laughing a little himself.

"Dude, you suck ass," he joked, grinning at Kenny.

Kenny laughed again and shrugged. "Hey, it got you out of there faster."

"Yeah, and I think I shat out an organ or two, thanks to your help." He stuck his tongue out and chuckled. The brunette sat down next to his blonde friend and quickly stuffed his gym clothes into his gym locker, and smiled when he caught Kenny looking at him. "Well, you ready to go?"

"Almost…" Kenny smiled and turned his body toward Parker and moved his hand to rest on the brunette's. Parker blushed a little and looked at the blonde inquisitively before flinching when he saw Kenny's hand next to his face. The blonde slipped off the brunette's glasses and stared deeply into his eyes, smiling. "You know," he murmured, "you look cute without your glasses…I can see your eyes better." He leaned closer to the blushing boy and rubbed their noses together sweetly. "They're so pretty…" A soft chuckle escaped his lips before he pressed them to Parker's, eyes slipping closed and a quiet hum bubbling up in his throat. Feeling Parker trembling slightly, he pulled away after a minute and smiled at him. "You alright?"

"Y-Yeah," the brunette replied shakily. He looked away, blushing hard, and mumbled a quick apology.

The blonde shook his head and hugged his friend. "It's okay," he replied. He pulled Parker's face up to meet his, and grinned goofily. "Well, I'm ready to go now. Come on, I'll walk you home." He gave the brunette one last little peck on the lips before helping the boy to his feet, and escorting him out of the school and out onto the streets.

"Hey Kenny, do you think we can stop and get coffee?"

"Sure thing," the blonde replied, smiling."Harbucks?"

Parker shook his head, smiling when Kenny gave him a confused look. "I wanna stop by Tweek's and say hi, and get my coffee from there."

Kenny nodded and gave him a thumbs-up. "Sure thing, kiddo."

The two walked down the street, laughing and chatting away about nothing in particular. Parker asked if Kenny wanted to stay over for a while if he wasn't busy, and Kenny agreed to hang out and wrapped an arm around the brunette's shoulder. They were just a few stores away from the coffee shop, and Parker ran up ahead of Kenny, laughing and telling him he couldn't catch him. Kenny just laughed and told him that he so could, and bolted up to him and tackled him to prove it. The two laughed and strolled into Tweek's coffee shop, and upon seeing the jittery blonde start to brew fresh coffee, shouted a warm "Hey, Tweek!" before walking up to talk to him.

"Nngh! H-Hey guys," he said, smiling. "Can I g-get you anything?"

"I'll have a small coffee please," Parker replied. He smiled and handed Tweek a five, telling him to keep the change. "Nothing real fancy, just creamer and sugar please."

"S-Sure thing!" He busied himself, looking around and getting everything ready for Parker's coffee. Once he was finished and just waiting for the coffee to get done, he piped up, "Have you guys – gah! – seen Craig at all today?"

Kenny shook his head. "No, not since he attacked Parker here," he replied, glancing down at the brunette. The fingerprint-shaped bruises around his neck still looked pretty horrible; it's a wonder nobody noticed yet. He looked back up at Tweek and raised his eyebrows worriedly. "You don't think he's still out there, do you?"

Tweek shook his head hard, shaking. "I-I hope not…what if –nngh! – he got taken in b-by the police, and now he's –ergh! – s-sitting in jail?"

"I doubt it," Kenny chuckled, seeing Tweek shaking and fighting with himself not to pull at his hair. "I'm sure he's probably at home getting some rest. I still don't know why he would attack him like that…"

Parker looked at Kenny, eyes full of confusion. "Did I piss him off or something?" he asked, looking back over to Tweek.

The nervous blonde shrugged his shoulders. "Not that I k-know of…maybe he's j-just not fond of new p-people coming into South Park. He wasn't very h-happy when Token first m-moved in, either."

"Hmm…" Parker tried to shrug it off and smiled. Kenny and Tweek exchanged a knowing look; they knew it wasn't rolling off the other boy's back as easily as he tried to make it look. The coffee machine dinged, signaling that the brew was finished. With quick (but very shaky) hands, Tweek held down Parker's cup and poured the hot liquid in, and stirred in the creamer and sugar before placing a lid on the steaming cup and handing it to the brunette. He then smiled and bid the others goodbye as they thanked him and headed for the door. Once outside again, Kenny looked at Parker out of the corner of his eye and frowned slightly.

"Parker?"

"Yeah?"

"I want you to stay away from Tweek for a while."

Parker looked at Kenny, hurt and surprise and confusion written across his face. "What? Why?"

Kenny shifted his gaze ahead of them, frowning. "He's Craig's best friend, and we don't know if he's working with him to lure you into a trap or something. So just to be safe, I don't want you hanging around with him for a while."

The brunette gave his friend a weird look before focusing on the street up ahead. 'Why would he think Tweek is working with Craig? I can understand if he saw what happened in the locker room that day, but it's…it's not like Tweek wanted to help him. He was scared.' He glanced at Kenny again and sighed. 'I'm not gonna stop hanging out with him; he's my friend too dammit.'

The two quickly approached Parker's house, and the brunette reached into his pocket for the keys and unlocked the door. Once it was open, he and Kenny walked inside, kicked off their shoes and dropped their backpacks, and raced upstairs to Parker's room. Kenny took a seat on the bed while Parker rummaged around in a bin next to his television set. He hummed as he looked, and eventually peered over his shoulder at the blonde.

"Are you a fan of Pokémon by any chance?" he asked, pulling out a small game and waving it above his head.

"Duh," Kenny said, grinning. "What game is that?"

"It's uh…Pokémon Stadium 2. It's kinda old, but it's still an awesome game!" Parker put the game in, powered up his old Nintendo 64, and called Kenny over to take the second controller. Soon enough the duo were battling to the death with their team of Pokémon, cheering when the other's creature fainted or did little damage in battle. They were both down to their last monster: Parker's Pichu stood cutely, waiting to be given an order to attack, while Kenny's Squirtle was low on HP. One more hit and he'd be done with. The two glared at each other and gave their creatures their attack commands, and waited. Kenny's Squirtle had first go, and shot Water Gun at Pichu: it did little damage, much to his dismay. Finally it was Pichu's turn. The blonde paled when the tiny electric mouse used Thundershock, and his Squirtle was knocked out instantly. It fainted and returned to its pokeball , and Parker cheered in victory when his monster danced victoriously on the screen. He looked to Kenny and stuck his tongue out playfully.

"Ha! I won! In your face, Kenny!"

The blonde rolled his eyes and shot the gloating boy the middle finger. "Up yours, you cheat!"

"You're just jealous," Parker murmured, getting close to Kenny, "that I beat you."

Kenny smirked and pushed the brunette away playfully. "Am not."

"Liar, come on say it! Say I beat you!"

"No way," Kenny laughed, shaking his head. "I bet I can beat you, though."

"Bet not!"

"Oh yeah?" Kenny launched himself at the cocky brunette, toppling him to the floor. Parker yelped and stared up into Kenny's eyes, feeling his face start to heat up under the other boy's gaze. Kenny chuckled softly and entwined his fingers with Parker's, and moved their arms up above the brunette's head. Sensing what his friend might have had planned, Parker started fidgeting and whimpering for Kenny to let him go and that he wouldn't tease him again; Kenny only laughed and shook his head, his blue eyes half-lidded and full of mischief, and told Parker to be good and apologize or he would be punished. The brunette's face burst into flame, burning painfully with the intensity of his blush, and he turned away refusing to believe Kenny's bluff. The blonde sighed before suddenly swinging a leg over the other boy's hips and straddling him, smirking wickedly when Parker looked up and screamed at him to get off.

"Not a chance!" Kenny leaned down and pressed his lips against Parker's before pulling back and smirking again. "Say you're sorry!"

"Never!"

"Alright then, suit yourself…" He leaned down and, instead of aiming for the brunette's mouth, he pressed his lips to Parker's ear. He felt the boy beneath him tense up and chuckled. "All of this can stop with one simple word, Parker…"

The brunette squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting the blonde on top of him to see his embarrassment. "N-No!"

Kenny sighed. "So stubborn." He gently bit down on the top of the brunette's ear, smirking when Parker whimpered and tried to pull away. He continued his assault, gradually moving lower and lower until he was at his friend's earlobe. With a teasing chuckle, he moved in to bite, only to find something hard hit his teeth. Confused, he pulled back and moved one of his hands down to move Parker's hair out of the way. What he found staring back at him was a small, black-and-white checkered earring wedged (almost painfully-looking) tight in his earlobe.

"You wear earrings?" Kenny asked, surprised.

Parker opened one of his eyes and looked up at his friend, nodding. "Yeah, they're gauges."

"Gauges?" Kenny echoed, cocking a brow. "Don't you have to stretch your ear hole to get these things in?"

The brunette nodded. "That's why I only have these small ones. Well, and some green ones…but those are small too."

The blonde grinned and laughed. "And your dad's completely fine with that?"

"He's the one that took me to get it done," Parker replied with a smile. "He said I can wear them as long as they don't get bigger. It hurt like hell getting these ones in anyway, so I'm not interested in anything bigger." He sat up and playfully pushed Kenny back, grinning. "And I'm still not apologizing."

"Oh you will sooner or later," Kenny said, winking.

Parker snorted and rolled his eyes. "I'm so sure," he laughed. When he looked down and caught a look at the bite on his friend's arm, the brunette gasped: it was nearly gone! "Dude, check it out!" he exclaimed, pointing to the faded injury. "It's like gone! Wasn't it horrible-looking just earlier today?"

Kenny looked at it and nodded, just as shocked as his friend. "Wow, that's weird…maybe I'm just a quick healer," he suggested, shrugging and grinning at the bewildered boy.

The brunette nodded, eyes wide. "Let's hope that's what it is," he whispered.

After a few moments of stunned silence, Kenny turned back to the game and picked up his controller, sending another lopsided grin at the other teen. "So, wanna play again? Bet I'll beat you this time!"

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><p>Lol look at Kenny, trying to get some action! Okay, I would have put this up sooner, but the site wouldn't let me log in :( Oh well lol, it's up now. Yay!<p> 


	16. Chapter 16

Long chapter ahead! Hope y'all like it!

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><p>The week passed rather uneventfully, except for one incident at lunch. Surprisingly enough, it didn't involve Parker; it was a fight in the cafeteria between Cartman and Wendy. Apparently he had said something especially rude to her, causing her to yell and fling her lunch at him. That made him pissed and throw his food back at her, but she ducked out of the way at the last minute, so his lunch ended up splattered across some younger kid's back. A food fight had broken out immediately, but Stan, Kyle, and Kenny crept out of the cafeteria before they could get hit. They'd spent their lunch that day in the library.<p>

Friday night came and found the group of boys hanging out at Stan's house. They'd watched the old Terrance and Phillip movie in the living room, laughing the whole time and singing the songs (all except for Parker, since he hadn't seen it before). Stan's older sister Shelley came down and harassed the boys for a while, until she noticed Parker lying on the floor beside her brother; when he looked up at her and smiled, she ran up to her room and slammed the door shut, refusing to come out for the rest of the night. Stan swore up and down that she had a crush on Parker, but the brunette laughed it off and said she was probably just shy. During the movie, a commercial came up, announcing a carnival set for that weekend. All boys looked at each other with a big grin and decided to go Saturday. Eventually nightfall rolled around and, as much as he didn't want to, Parker had to get heading home. He bravely bid his friends goodbye and stepped outside, and began silently making his way toward his house.

'You'll make it back safe,' he told himself, ignoring the hair standing up on the back of his neck. 'Just act cool and calm, and maybe nothing will happen.'

As he was turning a corner, he could hear faint footprints trailing behind him. His whole body seemed to shut down on him for a brief second before he willed himself to keep going. He made the turn and walked quietly ahead, hoping that the person following him would pass him by and go the other way; oh, how wrong he was! The footsteps followed him down the street, almost sounding as if they were picking up speed. Parker dared not to turn his head and look, so instead he picked up his own pace and jogged down the street until he saw another turn coming. He quickly followed the turn and ran until he found a corner he could duck into, and listened. Nothing. No footsteps coming his way, no calling voices, no static. He sighed softly out of relief and turned back to keep going on his way. He just wished that he could shake the feeling of being watched…

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><p>"Wake up, kiddo!"<p>

The brunette's eyes twitched and opened slightly, harsh sunlight flooding through his bedroom. He grumbled and pulled the covers up over his head before feeling a hand knot itself within them and swiftly yank them away. Just as Parker was about to shout, he looked up angrily and found a tiny girl with blonde hair smiling down at him. Surprised and confused, he asked, "Who are you?"

"Well, my name is Marjorine," she said kindly, shifting her weight from foot to foot. She looked around a little anxiously, seemingly not wanting to meet the brunette's eyes. "I was wondering if, maybe you weren't busy, we could hang out with some friends?"

Parker sat up and swung his legs over the edge of his bed. "I'd love to and all," he replied, trying not to sound too harsh, "but I actually have plans today. I'm sorry."

She looked up shyly and immediately looked away when she saw him staring at her. "Uh, I-I know that, silly." Looking out the window, she said, "With Stan and Kyle and Eric and Kenny, right?"

The brunette's eyes widened in surprise. "Y-Yeah…how did you - "

"They asked me to come get you," she quickly replied, smiling.

Parker eyed her suspiciously before lifting himself out of bed and walking over to the closet. "How do you know them?" he asked rather suddenly. "I mean, I've never seen you around school before and they've never said anything about you to me since I met them…are you one of their cousins or something?"

Marjorine giggled and shook her head, watching him out of the corner of her eye. "No, more like an old friend." She urged him politely to hurry up, and after Parker had jumped in the shower and gotten dressed, he followed the blonde girl out the door and down to Eric's house, asking her slightly invasive questions all along the way. She answered each one politely, although she was obviously a little shy when it came to certain questions. They soon reached her friend's front door and knocked, curious to see her friends. He was a little more than surprised when Cartman answered the door.

"Cartman?" Parker asked, raising his eyebrows.

The fat teen scoffed. "You act like we never met," he remarked. He noticed Marjorine and smiled. "Thanks, Butters. Did his dad try to blow your head off with a shotgun too?"

"W-WHAT!"

"BUTTERS?" Parker shouted, staring at the blonde girl. "What's going on?"

Stan poked his head out from behind Cartman and smiled. "Hey guys, you made it!" He waved them in and quickly closed the door behind him. 'Marjorine' took a seat on the couch next to Kyle and played with her hair, while Parker stood in front of the door and glanced first from Cartman to Butters to Stan with an expression that screamed 'WHAT'S GOING ON!' and glared over at Kyle when he looked back and began laughing.

"I take it you didn't know about Marjorine?" he asked, grinning.

Parker shook his head and crossed his arms. "Not really, no. Can someone please explain what's happening? I'm completely lost."

Kenny's laughter rose from the floor as he looked up at the brunette. "It's a long story," he replied, "but I think we can give you the basics. Okay, see…there was this thing back in elementary school where we thought all the girls had a future-predicting device, and us boys were trying to get it for ourselves. But, the girls were having a sleepover and no boys were allowed over. At all. So, we got Butters here to fake his death and dress like a girl to get the device for us. And thus," he concluded, wrapping his arms around Butters, "Marjorine was born!"

"Ah, that makes sense…I guess." Parker smiled a little bit, not as confused as before. "Is he coming with us to the carnival tonight?"

Kyle nodded. "Definitely, we invited him to come along. He loves carnivals."

"Who doesn't?" Parker said, laughing.

Kenny smiled and got up, making his way to Parker. "Can I talk to you upstairs?" he asked in a whisper.

Confused, the brunette gave him a strange look. "Uh, sure," he whispered back. He then turned to the others and said, "I'll be right back, guys!" before hurrying up the stairs with Kenny right on his heels.

The blonde checked to make sure the others weren't following them, and pulled Parker into the bathroom and shut the door tight behind them. He then turned to the brunette and motioned for him to sit on the toilet, and glared at himself in the mirror, thinking. "We have to change your looks," he blurted off-handedly. Taking a sidelong look at his confused friend, he added, "It's to ensure your safety tonight."

"My safety?" Parker echoed, looking a little offended. "From what?"

"Craig, and the Slender Man," Kenny replied, staring back at his reflection. "This town is small as hell, so literally everyone will be there. Besides, we don't know if Craig is in the right state of mind for you to be walking around looking like yourself. And Slender Man…well, he knows what you look like too. We need to keep you safe, no matter what."

Parker sat silently, thinking over what his friend had said. Nodding, he asked, "But how are we supposed to do that?"

The blonde turned back to his friend, and suddenly smiled wide. Frankly, it disturbed and worried Parker quite a bit. "Marjorine's gonna take you shopping!"

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><p>The blonde and the brunette made their way to store after store, looking at the dresses and skirts in each place they passed. Parker could feel his cheeks flush the entire time, not realizing everyone thought they were both looking for clothes for 'Marjorine'. They popped into Deb's (much to Parker's embarrassment) and looked around in the small section, trying to find something extra cute. Parker begged and pleaded with Butters to leave, but the blonde would have none of his complaining; he was already looking at the cute little dresses and shorts. He waved down the brunette excitedly, pointing at something he found. Reluctantly he trudged over to him, expecting the worst.<p>

"You would look adorable in this!" Butters whispered, pulling a dress off the rack. It was short – it stopped off at about just above the knee – and was white as untouched snow, with frilly black lace wrapping around the middle and accenting the top and bottom of the dress. He held it up to the brunette and giggled, saying how pretty he'd look in it. Parker blushed and looked around, praying that nobody was watching.

"Please," Parker begged in a hushed whisper, "please let's get out of here! Now!"

Butters shook his head, smiling. "Well sorry, but you gotta try this on in case it doesn't fit. Besides, it's real pretty!"

Parker realized there was no way out of this and sighed. "If I try it on, can we PLEASE leave?" He watched the little blonde nod, and sped into a changing room to hurry up and get the whole ordeal over with. He really didn't want to be seen, either by people he knew or total strangers. The embarrassed teen kicked off his shoes and stripped off his clothes, and glanced into the mirror: at least his body looked fragile and feminine enough to not be found out…right away, anyhow. Pulling on the dress, he took a moment to really feel it against his skin. It was soft and fluffy, like a cloud, and clung perfectly to his small frame. A bright blush swept across his face as he quickly peeled it off, got dressed in his regular clothes again, and put on his shoes before exiting the stall.

"How was it?" Butters asked curiously, smiling.

"Great, awesome, let's get the hell out of here," Parker replied, dragging the blonde along by the arm. The two had the purchase rung up, paid, and left the store, much to the brunette's relief. There was only one stop left, according to Butters; the wig store. 'At least that's a little less humiliating,' Parker thought, staring down at the bag in Butter's hand. There was no way he'd be caught carting around a girly wig AND a girly dress!

The two looked around, Butters absolutely fascinated and excited and Parker bored and anxious to leave, and stumbled upon a section of wild and cute girl-style wigs. Parker said that he wanted something normal-looking; no wild colors like pink or green or blue. They made their way around and found a section for brunette hair, and each browsed the selection quietly. The little blonde smiled at the longer wigs, running his fingers through the hair and giggling a little when they tickled his fingers. Parker found himself staring at one wig in particular, as if it were the greatest thing in the world. A simple wig, nothing really special about it: the bangs were short and blunt, going straight across just under the eyebrows, the sides frames the face and were cut straight across at the bottoms as well, and all of the back was pulled into two big puffy pigtails, curled into tight, bouncy ringlets. Butters took notice and smiled, and took the wig up to the counter for the brunette, shrugging off his protests and shouts. The two left the store moments later with one new wig.

"You know I'm not enjoying this, right?"

Butters looked up at him and grinned playfully. "Oh sorry, I haven't noticed," he replied, laughing at the mean look that spread across his friend's face.

* * *

><p>"Wow!" Everyone gathered around and stared at the newly-transformed Parker, amazed at how well he pulled off the look. The white and black dress fit him perfectly, showing off his slender, feminine body, while the pigtailed wig looked like it was made just for him. The only things that made him still look like himself were his glasses, neon shoes, and the headphones around his neck. Kenny knew just how to fix this problem: he carefully pulled the brunette's headphones off and set them on the table, told him to take off his shoes, and debated whether or not to let him keep his glasses.<p>

"Hey Parker, how good is your vision without your glasses?" he asked.

The brunette shrugged and looked away, feeling weird under his friend's close gaze. "You should know, remember? But it's not that bad usually. I could go without them tonight, but you guys would have to keep an eye on me."

"No problem," Kyle spoke up, smiling. "It's better than running into Craig and things getting out of hand again."

Stan nodded in agreement. "Besides," he added, "this way there's no way your glasses will end up broken or lost. Perfect solution."

Kenny smiled and gently slipped the brunette's glasses off of his face, chuckling when the other boy's cheeks turned pink. "There," he murmured. "You look so different now…"

Turning away and blushing, Parker retorted, "Wasn't that the point?"

Cartman looked Parker over, smiling. "This is great; there's just one more thing we need."

"What's that?" Butters asked.

"He needs different shoes," the fat teen deadpanned. "Do you have any other ones at your house?"

The brunette nodded. "I have some regular black Converse. Or a pair of black ballet flats my sister had."

"Flats would look best," Kyle suggested. "It would just pull the girly thing together, you know?"

Parker nodded. "Okay, but I'm putting my stuff back on before we go to my house."

Kenny shook his head. "No time, we have to get to the carnival before dark. I'll carry you there, and then you can walk once you have the shoes."

Parker stared at him with a 'Seriously?' look on his face, and sighed in defeat. Cartman went and found him a bag to put his other clothes and things in, and the group of boys exited out the front door, heading down toward the flustered brunette's house. He hadn't expected the ground to be so rocky, and occasionally bit back a whimper or hiss when he stepped on a rock or other painful object lying on the road. With a small grin, Kenny scooped him up in his arms and carried him bridal-style, ignoring the strange looks from his friends. After a while, they'd all reached Parker's house, where the pigtailed brunette scurried into the house, dropped off his bag, slipped on the black ballet flats, and rejoined the group within a matter of minutes. After that, they headed off to the carnival. Too bad they didn't notice the shadow watching them from the trees…

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><p>Next chapter has a few surprises. Sorry, no spoilers!<p> 


	17. Chapter 17

Whoo! Carnival time!

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><p>The group quickly approached the fairgrounds, staring out at the rides and games in excitement. Parker and Butters actually giggled a little when the carnival music reached their ears, and sped off toward all the rides, calling after the others to hurry up. The rest of the boys looked at each other and smiled before following the two 'girls' toward the fair. They all looked around with wide, bewildered eyes as they spotted many new attractions: the Ferris wheel was new, as well as the house of mirrors. In fact, everything seemed either new or remodeled. It all looked fantastic, and the main boys couldn't help but laugh in delight.<p>

"Hey, where did those two run off to?" Stan asked, looking around.

"Uh…oh, there they are!" Kyle replied, pointing up ahead.

The four jogged their way up to Butters and Parker, jokingly asking them what kind of trouble they'd gotten into. When the two pointed up to the stuffed animals above a game stand, the four boys looked up and grinned; giant stuffed teddy bears and bunnies and the like lined the ceiling and clung along the walls. They told the two excited teens maybe later they'd let them have a go, before they all went home. With a nod, the brunette and the blonde followed the other boys around, looking for a ticket booth to go on some rides.

"There's one," Parker spoke up, nodding toward a booth by the roller coaster. The group got in line and all bought wristbands, and set off to ride the rides and have fun.

They all decided to first board the roller coaster, eager to take off. Parker glanced at Kenny, who seemed a bit apprehensive to get on and buckle up. He smiled and rubbed the blonde's arm, telling him nothing bad would happen. Kenny relaxed after a bit of comfort from Parker, and finally smiled when the ride started up. Everyone cheered when they flew down the tracks, twisting and turning, and finally climbing up to a high point before momentarily stopping; this was the part where the coaster would drop straight down out of the air. Slowly the ride inched forward, encouraging the riders to scream and laugh, until finally it tipped over the edge and plummeted downwards, sending the screamers into almost hysterics. Almost everyone raised their arms up high, laughing and screaming in glee: Kenny was the only one nervous to. Around the festivities they sped, twisting and doing loops while waving at the other fair-goers down below. At last, the ride came to a stop as it pulled back up to its station. The riders clapped and got off, eager to find another ride like this one. Parker and Butters leapt out of their carts, giggling and bouncing in place and saying how fun the ride was, ad that they wanted to go again. Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny had other plans at the moment; they were still trying to get their stomachs back. Good thing they didn't eat before they got on.

"Ah, how about a ride that doesn't go seventy miles an hour?" Cartman suggested, looking a bit green in the face. "Too many twists and turns…"

Parker made a face and looked at Butters. "You guys won't like our next ride, then," he chuckled, smiling at the blonde beside him.

Kyle raised an eyebrow. "Depends," he said.

"We, uh, we were gonna ride The Zipper," Butters said, pointing across the fairgrounds at a giant metal ride. It stood tall, almost as tall as the Ferris wheel, and looked quite frightening to the other boys; they could see its passengers strapped inside, holding onto metal bars above their heads behind the cage-like wall keeping them in, screaming their lungs out from being flung around from ground to sky. The group looked at each other and shook their heads.

"You two can ride it if you really want," Stan said, smiling a little, "but I think we'll sit this one out."

"Alright." Parker grinned and grabbed Butters by the arm, and hurried away toward their destination, leaving their friends standing outside the barrier for the roller coaster.

Kenny grinned after the two 'girls', chuckling at their childish sense of wonder and excitement. As he watched them fade from sight, he looked around to see the other patrons enjoying themselves, chatting with their friends and people they ran into from rides or games, or just stopped to extend a friendly greeting to. Another smile spread across his lips as he told his friends he'd be right back, and excused himself to go look around alone for a few moments. He walked around, observing the festivities and taking in the many sights, sounds, and smells; it was all so amazing. Cheerful music flooded his ears, giving off a carefree, innocent vibe; it almost seemed like it was hiding a darker, less-than-friendly side to it. Shaking away the thought, the blonde stared off into the distance near the entrance. Oh that's right, small town surrounded by forest…they had to put this stuff way out here. Lovely. No, not at all dangerous, no sir.

'Maybe I should head back now,' Kenny thought to himself. Just as he was about to turn around, a sudden movement in the trees caught his attention. 'Shit.' He turned and fled the scene, not even sparing a last glance back to make sure it wasn't what he'd feared.

* * *

><p>"Wow, that was fun!" Parker said, smiling wide. He wobbled out of the ride after Butters, nearly falling over from how dizzy he was. "Although, I just wish my head didn't hurt…"<p>

Butters nodded, looking ready to vomit. "My tummy feels all woozy…" Without warning, he rushed over to the nearest garbage bin and puked, pained whimpers echoing off the garbage pail walls. Feeling guilty and worried, Parker hurried over and pulled Butters' blonde pigtails back, not wanting him to get the contents of his stomach in his wig. After a few more heaves, he pulled himself away from the container and clutched his stomach, squeezing his eyes shut in pain. "Oww…"

Parker frowned and told him to stay there while he went to get a few napkins. The brunette returned shortly, carrying a handful of napkins for the sick blonde. He squatted down next to him and carefully wiped his mouth clean, tossing the dirty wipes in the trash. He could hear a few boys whistling at them, but Parker could care less; he just wanted to make his friend feel better. After the smaller boy's face was cleaned off, Parker smiled apologetically and hugged him tight.

"You okay?" he asked.

Butters nodded, hugging the brunette back. "Y-Yeah, I feel all better now. Thanks a lot," he replied. He pulled back and smiled at the upset boy. "Really, I'm okay!"

"Sorry," Parker whispered, reaching out and playing absently with the other boy's bow in his hair.

Butters looked up suddenly, causing Parker to do the same. A group of three older boys stood behind them, all smirking down the two on the ground. "Hey girls," the presumed leader purred. "What's a couple of cuties like yourselves doing in a place like this all alone?"

Parker gave him a mean look. "We're here with our friends, actually," he snapped, pulling Butters up to his feet. "So back off."

Another boy snickered and made his way up to the brunette. "Aw, don't be like that…look, you like cotton candy, little girl?"

Chills ran up and down Parker's spine and he silently urged Butters to start walking. "No," he said harshly, turning with the blonde to walk away. Just as the two were heading away from the group of older guys, Parker felt one of their hands grab his shoulder and swiftly pull him back. He fell back onto his butt with a shout, and yelled for Butters to find their friends. As the blonde ran away frightened, the brunette stared up at the group of boys grinning down at him: they all looked twice as terrifying from that angle. One was wearing a yellow jacket and gave off a scary vibe from the look in his eyes; another was wearing a hoodie just like his friend, only he had a black bandana tied around his mouth, and the red stitching pattern made it look like he was frowning like some nightmarish monster; the last boy had the blackest hair anyone had ever seen, coming down to rest at his shoulders, and wore a white hoodie. His face looked incredibly pale, his eyes looked to be lined with heavy eyeliner, and his smile…Parker nearly screamed on the spot. He tried to break away from the boys' grips, but they each used both hands to hold him down.

"HELP!" Parker screamed, thrashing about to get away.

The boy in white chuckled and bent down to look Parker in the eyes. God, his smile would give the poor brunette nightmares. "Be a good little girl and keep that pretty mouth shut," he whispered, gently brushing Parker's cheek with his fingertips. He pulled his hand away after a moment and pulled a knife out of his pocket just enough for the frightened boy to see, and chuckled darkly again. "If you don't, well…you'll find out."

"What the hell is going on!"

The three boys looked up to see Butters standing there timidly, with Stan, Kyle, and Cartman behind him. Stan took one look at the scene before him and scowled. "Is there a problem here?" he asked dangerously calmly. The others took notice of his tone and shifted away slightly.

"Ah, no problems at all," the boy in white said happily. He patted Parker's head, making the brunette mouth the words 'Help me' to his friends, tears practically welling up in his eyes. "We were just simply saying hello to this sweet little thing here. Is she yours?"

"Yes," Kyle said, glaring at the group. "Give our friend back. Now."

The two boys in yellow gave each other a sinister look before turning to the leader. He looked back to them and smiled; it even made Stan and the others cringe. "Alright," the black-haired boy said. He lifted Parker to his feet and escorted him back to his friends. Butters whimpered when he finally got within arm's reach, and the boy cupped Parker's cheek creepily. "See you around," he murmured before turning and walking away with the yellow twins in tow.

The others stared after them for a moment until they were gone from sight, and quickly turned their attention back to the traumatized brunette. "Are you okay? What'd they do to you? What happened?"

Parker rubbed his arms as if he were cold, and shook his head. "I-I'm fine, just really creeped out. They just held me down while Butters came to get you guys, and just scared me. That guy, the one in the white…h-he had a knife!"

"Guys! Guys!" Everyone turned to find Kenny running toward them, his face pale and his eyes wide. He stopped when he finally reached his friends, and panted hard, trying to catch his breath. _T-There's something outside this carnival! We have to go!"

"You're telling us!" Cartman turned to show Parker shaking and looking ready to cry. Kenny rushed over to him and hugged him tight, trying to calm him down and get answers. When the brunette wouldn't say a word, Kenny looked back to his friends for help. "She met some real creeps," the fat teen replied, looking off in the direction the older group vanished to. "Two kids in yellow, and one guy that looked like an insane asylum patient. I guess that one had a knife on him…"

"What!" Kenny looked back down at Parker. Terrified tears were streaming down his cheeks as he clung to the blonde, still shaking hard. "They didn't hurt you, did they?"

Parker shook his head in silence. He was too scared to even make a sound. Kenny sighed out of relief and rubbed his friend's back, trying to soothe him and make the fear go away. "Do you wanna go back home?" he asked softly, resting his chin on the boy's head.

"N-No…I wanna stay here and play. Please?"

"Are you sure?" Stan asked, squatting down next to him.

Kyle dropped down next to Stan, looking at the brunette worriedly. "Yeah, will you be okay?"

The shaking teen nodded, wiping the tears away with a trembling hand. He looked in no way ready to stay at this place, but he seemed determined to get past the horrors he'd just experienced. Kenny thought to himself that he'd stay by his friend's side, especially if those creeps were still wandering around the fair. Sighing, the blonde pulled the brunette up to his feet and smiled a little at him. When he got a shy little smile back in return, Kenny gave his hand a gentle squeeze, reassuring him that everything will be okay.

"Just keep your guard up, everyone," Stan warned. He finally smiled and everything was back to normal, and the group of friends stuck close and decided what rides to ride. After a while of trying different attractions (and a few times of coming close to throwing up), they all decided to take a break and get some food. Fresh lemonade, corn dogs, and cotton candy graced the boys' mouths as they sat at a small picnic table, laughing and saying how much fun they were having. Even Butters and Parker seemed back to their original mood, which made Kenny extremely relieved; he was worried those two would have a breakdown for a while. Seeing them happy and relaxed like this made him feel like he was doing something right by his friends.

After they'd finished their food, they were all right back to riding rides and gawking at game stands. They were done with fast rides until they were positive the food was all digested, much to the disappointment of the two 'girls'. They all looked around in wonderment, and finally spotted the giant Ferris wheel. It was covered with bright, colorful lights and looked amazing. Butters and Parker looked up at their friends with hopeful eyes, and cheered when the others agreed to go on it with them. Everyone got in line and waited eagerly for their turn to get on, smiling and laughing at the 'girls' excited cheers. Finally the group filed into their compartment and waited; when the ride conductor gave them a funny look, they asked what was wrong.

"You guys got some pretty cute girlies there," he commented, motioning at Parker and Butters. "They your girlfriends or something?"

"Yeah," Kenny lied, earning surprised looks from his friends. He shrugged it off and asked rather rudely, "Can you start up the ride now?"

The man eyed him suspiciously and shook his head. "I don't believe you," he said flatly. "If them girls are yours, why don't y'all kiss to prove it?"

Cartman fumed. "Look asshole, just start the damn ride already!"

"E-Eric…" Butters whimpered, tugging on his sleeve to try to calm him down.

"Oh-ho! So the little blonde one is yours, huh?" the man asked, leering at Cartman. "If y'all are really boyfriend and girlfriend, why don't you show me a kiss?"

It was Kenny's turn to be pissed. "Will you just get this thing started or not?"

"If you can prove that - "

Kenny sighed and grabbed Parker's shoulders, looked him in the eyes, and brought their lips together hard. Everyone stared in shock at his move, even Parker, and finally he pulled away and wrapped his arm around the brunette's waist for good measure. "There! Now can we ride this damn thing!"

"Yeah, sure…" The man started the ride up, and at last everyone was propelled up into the sky. Stan and Kyle were complaining about the creepy old pervert operating the ride, Cartman was still calming down with Butters smiling and sitting beside him, and Kenny and Parker were looking off in opposite directions. The two felt a little awkward after the kiss, and didn't want to aggravate it by staring at each other. The brunette looked down at the ground, cracking a little smile at how small all the people looked below them; they looked like tiny ants crawling across a giant baseball field. He chuckled at his silly thought and looked out toward the trees surrounding the fair. He felt uneasy staring down there, almost as if something were staring back at him. A sudden chill ran through his blood and he pulled himself away from the sight, opting instead to join in on conversing with his friends. It wasn't until he felt fingers brushing against his side that he looked up to find Kenny almost frowning at him.

"About the kiss," he whispered, shyly looking away, "I didn't mean to force it like that. Sorry…"

The brunette smiled and shook his head. "Hey, you did what you had to do," he replied. "Besides…" He leaned closer to the blonde's face and blushed. "I kinda liked it."

Kenny blinked and grinned a little bit before quickly planting another quick kiss on Parker's lips, thankful for his friends' not paying attention. "So did I." He sighed happily and rested his head on Parker's, trying not to sneeze when the bouncy ringlets in his pigtails tickled his nose.

Parker beamed as he leaned into the blonde's touch. Everything was perfect; he had his friends by his side, he had Kenny holding him, and they were quickly approaching the very tip-top of the Ferris wheel. As it stopped and hung in the air for a few moments, Parker didn't even notice the man in the suit staring up at him. He didn't see the smirk spreading across his face. And he didn't hear the faint sound of static coming from his phone.

'Ignorance is bliss…'

* * *

><p>Who can guess who the Creepy Three were? :D No, they won't be in the story anymore, they just made special guest appearances. Lol, creepypastas FTW!<p> 


	18. Chapter 18

The friends exited the ride, glaring at the pervert ride operator on their way past, and otherwise agreed that the Ferris wheel was a great ride. It was relaxing and a perfect ride to end the night (and also quite romantic, according to Butters and Parker). Stan and Kyle walked side by side, smiling and looking at each other out of the corners of their eyes, while Butters held onto Cartman's arm and walked next him. Kenny and Parker, however, strayed a little behind the rest and talked about nothing in particular, just enjoying the other's company. The blonde smiled and glanced up ahead to make sure nobody else was looking before quickly kissing the brunette's cheek, causing him to turn pink in the face. Everyone stopped at the carnival entrance and agreed that it was about time to head back: it was dark out, and their parents would be worried if they didn't come home soon. As they started making their way through the woods to go home, Kenny suddenly stopped. Parker took notice and looked at him, frightened.

"What?" the brunette asked, clinging close to the blonde.

Kenny looked back to the brunette, shaking his head and smiling. "It's nothing, just a squirrel." He glanced up; the others were already gone. They must not have noticed the stop. The blonde directed his gaze back toward the startled brunette and thought. "You know, we are alone…"

Parker's eyes widened slightly. "What did you have in mind?" he asked innocently, blinking.

A soft hum escaped Kenny's lips as he looked around, thinking. "Well, something along these lines." He smirked and cupped Parker's face gently before bringing their lips together, eyes fluttering shut. He could hear the other boy whimpering and chuckled, opening his mouth a little to nip at the brunette's bottom lip. Parker flinched and his eyes flew open in surprise, staring up into Kenny's like he was frightened. The blonde stopped and looked down at the other boy in confusion.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Ah…" Parker looked away shyly, blushing. "S-Sorry, I guess I'm just…a little nervous…"

Kenny chuckled and patted his friend's head, feeling the little ringlets bounce under his fingers. "It's alright," he replied, smiling. "If you want, we can take it slow. Sound good?"

Parker nodded, feeling a little upset. "Sorry," he whispered, staring down at his feet.

A sudden snap of twigs caught the duo's attention, and Parker's eyes flew up in panic. Kenny looked off in the direction he heard it coming from and instinctively wrapped his arms around the brunette to protect him. They looked and listened for what felt like hours, until Kenny frowned and told Parker to stay there while he went to check it out. As he took a few cautious steps forward, Parker twisted his head around in all directions to make sure nothing was waiting off to the side to attack. He called out a warning to Kenny before he disappeared through the trees, leaving Parker all alone.

'Oh please hurry, Kenny!' The brunette fidgeted in place, biting his lip and looking around. The leaves rustled above him and more twigs could be heard snapping off to the side. He jumped but held back a scream; he opted instead to whisper to himself that it was just more squirrels and birds. 'Just don't freak out. Don't show fear,' he told himself. He waited patiently for Kenny to come back, but when he didn't reappear moments later, Parker really began to get scared. Minutes ticked by: three, five, seven, ten minutes passed, and still not a spot of blonde to be seen. Parker could feel goose bumps forming along his arms and legs, not from cold but from fear, and decided to try calling out for his missing friend.

"K-Kenny…?"

No answer. He called out louder.

"Kenny!"

A hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder hard. The pigtailed brunette screamed and spun around, hand curled into a fist, and threw his hardest punch. It was caught with his attacker's free hand, and was met with a frightening smile: Craig was back! Parker screamed and struggled to run away, but Craig had him at the wrist and the shoulder. He sprang at the screaming boy, knocking him onto his back with wide, terrified eyes, and dug out a gun from the back of his pants. His evil grin widened as he stared down at Parker and took aim.

"Goodbye."

In blind panic, Parker bit down on Craig's hand hard enough to draw blood. Craig cursed and glared at the panicking brunette, and struck him across the side of his head with the end of the gun. Wrong move. As soon as he leaned back to take aim again, Parker wormed one of his legs free and kicked his hand with all his might; the gun went flying off to some forgotten area, and Craig was now disarmed. The murderous teen glared down at the boy in the dress and head-butted him, making Parker howl in pain. The brunette lashed out with his foot again and kicked Craig right off of him, sending him falling back and stumbling into a tree. Taking the chance, the terrified boy leapt to his feet and bolted away, not looking back. He rushed past trees and over fallen leaves, screaming Kenny's name all the while.

"KENNY! KENNY, HELP ME! I-IT'S CRAIG! HE'S BACK! KENNY!"

A gunshot fired off, echoing through the night air. Parker screamed and wound through the trees to avoid getting hit with a bullet. Another shot, another scream. The brunette ran and ran, calling out for Kenny, but got no response. He dared to look back, and saw through the trees that Craig was running after him, eyes shining blood-red under the moonlight and a wide, evil grin plastered across his face. Parker turned back with tears in his eyes, calling for his lost friend, and tripped over a hidden rock. He tumbled forward onto his face and whimpered, hearing Craig's laughter closing in on him. When he pulled himself up and turned to see how close the other teen was, cold metal was pressed to his head, right between the eyes. Craig was laughing with his finger on the trigger. Tears flowed from the brunette's eyes as he screamed one last time.

"KENNY!"

Boom!

Parker flinched, and his eyes flew open in disbelief. He was still alive! But how? He looked up and saw Kenny pushing Craig away, the gun aimed up toward the sky. Kenny had saved him! The blonde looked back to the crying teen and scowled.

"Get out of here! I'll handle this!"

The brunette nodded and ran off without a word. He heard Craig fire off another bullet and bit back a scream, knowing that Kenny wouldn't let him shoot him. He quickly found his way to the edge of the woods and panted from fear and running the whole way. As he stared ahead, he contemplated running home alone but squashed the thought when he realized Kenny might need help taking care of Craig. Apprehensively he turned back towards the trees. Kenny told him to leave, but what if he needs help? A sigh passed through Parker's lips and he reluctantly snuck back to where his friend was. He could hear the two spitting insults and curses at each other, some words more frightening than others. When he finally found the place again, he gasped and ducked behind a tree as not to be noticed.

Kenny was surrounded by dark fog. Not the general area; just Kenny. Parker could see his eyes glowing as well, almost as bright white as the moon that loomed overhead. His skin looked much paler than earlier, and his face was set in a scary expression: almost like Craig's, in fact. Chills ran up and down the brunette's spine as he watched the fight. Craig had finally managed to pry Kenny off of him and aimed the gun straight for Kenny's head and fired, but missed by mere centimeters when the blonde dodged it and seemed to drift up to Craig's side. He smirked something awful and jabbed the gun-wielding teen square in the gut. Parker smiled, but it quickly vanished when he realized that the dark-haired boy was coughing. Was that blood he was hacking up? Parker crept along a few feet to see what happened, and screamed when he saw Kenny's hand sticking through Craig's skin. The blonde whipped his head up and spotted Parker hiding, and sent him a smirk, eyes glowing bright. Parker dropped to the ground, unconscious.

* * *

><p>Bright light seeped through his eyelids. Voices could be heard talking somewhere far away. He felt warm, not like moments before. The brunette's eyes twitched and finally opened. After a moment, he realized he was staring up at a ceiling, lying on a couch and covered by a thick blanket. When he blinked and tried to turn his head, a throbbing pain shot through his temple and made him groan. Damn, Craig got him good. The voices stopped almost immediately, and soft footsteps took their place. By now Parker was so use to waking up in different places, the sound of feet crossing floor didn't even faze him anymore. Out of his peripheral vision he could see Stan and Kyle standing in a doorway, staring at him with both worry and relief on their faces.<p>

"'Sup?" Parker asked, staring back up at the ceiling.

The two were taken aback slightly when their friend spoke up, but they smiled nonetheless. "Hey," they said. Kyle trotted over to the couch where he lay and squatted down next to him, smiling and inspecting his face. "Are you alright?"

"Fine, fine," Parker replied, shifting his gaze to meet the redhead's. He smiled a little and asked, "Where's Kenny?"

Kyle's smile faltered as he glanced up toward Stan; the other boy bit his lip and looked down at his feet. The redhead turned back to Parker and looked like he was searching for a simple explanation. Finally he sighed and said, "Well…we don't exactly know…he uh, just kinda disappeared."

"Disappeared?" Parker slowly sat up and winced at the pain in his skull. "What do you mean?"

"We looked everywhere and we can't find him," Stan spoke up from the doorway. "He's not in the woods, at the carnival, or even at home. He's just…gone."

Parker thought for a moment, closing his eyes. "I think I might know where he is. Let me go check!"

Stan frowned and walked over to the couch. "Not a chance," he said, shaking his head. "You had a close enough call with Craig out there - "

"Kenny told you?"

Kyle rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Well, no. We found him lying a few feet away from you. He was knocked out too." He glanced outside at the growing darkness and sighed, not wanting to push the subject. "He…he lost a lot of blood. It looked like someone stabbed him in the stomach."

Parker shuddered, remembering what he saw happen. "Is he still back there?"

"No." Cartman came strolling into the living room and sat on the floor beside Parker, obviously a little confused and uncomfortable with this whole situation. "We took him to the hospital after we brought you here. Butters stayed behind while me, Stan, and Kyle got Craig to the emergency room. He won't be out of the hospital for at least a few weeks."

"We told the nurses and the doctors about his behavior lately. They told us they'd fix him up and keep him in the mental ward, at least until they figure out what's wrong with him."

The brunette frowned. "When it's put that way, it sounds like he's got some serious problems with his head."

Stan shrugged. "Well, he did attack you before at school, and just now back in the woods. The kid had a gun on him, Parker!"

"I know, he had it between my eyes," Parker mumbled.

Everyone was silent in the room, until Kyle softly spoke up and said, "Kenny saved you tonight. Maybe he's like your guardian angel?"

"…I hope he's still alive more…"

* * *

><p>Major writer's block! Sorry everybody! DX Don't forget to leave a review~<p> 


	19. Chapter 19

Sorry about the wait, guys! Stupid internet's been off and on the last few days! DX Anyway, here it is, enjoy! :D

* * *

><p>Sunday passed by in a blur. Nobody called or texted, not even Kenny to say if he was alright or where he was. Monday at school, he was gone as well. Still no updates from him, and the others had no idea where he was either. Tuesday passed, same deal. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday passed by with not a peep from the blonde. Everyone was really starting to get worried, even the kids at school. Tweek was freaking out, asking about Craig and Kenny, and spilling his guts in apologies every five seconds. Friday at lunch he actually broke down and cried in front of Parker, startling the brunette greatly. He'd hugged Tweek until the bell rang to get back to class, and didn't even start crap when other kids called him gay for it. He just wasn't in the mood to fight. Not with his best friend missing in action and Craig put in the hospital. And especially not with Tweek sobbing into his shoulder.<p>

It was Friday night, and the group was in no mood to get together. All day at school they acted like strangers toward one another. Even Stan and Kyle weren't connected at the hip and happy like they usually were. Kenny's disappearance was seriously taking its toll on everybody.

Parker lay in his bed, staring down at the phone clutched in his hands. He had the house to himself since his dad was away at work, but he was bored out of his mind. More than once the thought of running out to search for the missing blonde crossed his mind, but he quickly pushed it away when he realized it was dark out and he wouldn't have Kenny around to help him again if he ran into trouble. He sighed and rolled onto his back, letting his phone fall to the floor with a light thud. Staring up at the ceiling, the brunette thought about calling Kenny's cell to see if it would yield any results; it might not work out as well as he thought. What if his phone dropped out of his pocket during the fight with Craig? What if it was set explode if he called? Parker shook the thoughts away and smacked his forehead, scolding himself for being so stupid. He sighed and rolled over, falling out of bed and landing hard on his elbows and knees. After he picked himself up and brushed himself off, he trotted downstairs into the kitchen to get something to drink.

"I hope he's okay…" Parker took a sip of his Faygo and slunk back into the living room. He plopped down on the couch and glanced toward the window; shadows of swaying tree branches danced across the glass like limber little ballerinas. The brunette's eyes shifted back to the television screen. It wasn't on at the moment, so nothing was there to watch except for a black screen showing the boy's reflection. He blinked and tilted his head, watching his reflection do the same. A light chuckle passed through his lips as he waved his hand, watching with amusement as the television set sent it back via reflection. When he saw his reflection wave, another hand behind him waved back slowly. Parker tensed up and whirled his head around at the unknown intruder, but found nobody there.

"What the…" He looked back the TV screen and waved again, but did not get a second wave from the hand behind him. Parker was a little unnerved but otherwise laughed it off, thinking to himself that it was pretty late and he must have just been seeing things. Nodding at his theory, he took his glass of Faygo and ascended the stairs, trying to shake off the feeling of unease settling in the pit of his stomach. As he reached his room, he suddenly felt cool, like a breeze had passed by him. In a blind panic, he slammed his door shut, set his glass down, and dove onto his bed. He pulled the covers over his head and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to will himself to disappear. His ears strained to hear any foreign sound but picked up none for as long as he lie there, curled up in a terrified ball under his covers. Just as he was starting to calm down some, he heard a very faint chuckle and felt light-as-air pressure sweep across his cheek through the fabric. He could have sworn it sounded like –

"K-Kenny…?"

No answer. Feeling a spark of bravery (or maybe it was idiocy?), Parker pulled the blanket down from over his head, just low enough for his eyes to peek out and look around. He found nothing in his bedroom with him aside from the usual residents: his bed, computer, little television set, posters on the wall, and closet full of clothes. He could feel himself breaking out in a cold sweat as he stayed silent again, listening. Nope, nothing. A quick glance out the window revealed a sky full of bright stars and an even brighter moon. Parker would have given anything to spend this night with his closest friend. He sighed and pried himself off of his safety zone, and shuffled back to the computer desk where his soda sat forgotten. He downed it quickly, ran to the bathroom, and returned moments later. Another brief scan around the room confirmed nothing dangerous there, and the brunette hit the lights and dove back into bed with the covers pulled over his head.

* * *

><p>Another week passed and still nobody had gotten word about the blonde's whereabouts. He never showed up to school, and he never called any of his friends. Finally the group got tired of being eaten alive by their worrying, and marched up to the McCormick house. After a brief (and very tearful) explanation, everyone retreated back to Stan's house, defeated; apparently neither Kenny's mother nor father knew where their son was. They just presumed he was dead. Word spread fast in school the day after, and that Saturday night the town held a candlelight vigil for the blonde. Many tears were shed and good memories were shared aloud, and eventually the night ended with news coverage of the tragic death of Kenny McCormick. Parker was the one most torn apart, it seemed; he refused to leave the memorial site, and stayed there long after everyone had gone home. Stan and the others begged him to come back with them, but he refused their pleas, and sobbed a heartbreaking "NO!"<p>

The brunette sat under the tree where the service was held, sobbing his heart out loudly. His eyes stung badly from how much he'd been crying, but he didn't care; he wanted it to hurt. He wanted to hurt, now that Kenny was gone forever! He knew a certain faceless creature was behind his death; whether it was through Craig, the dark aura surrounding him the night of the carnival, or by Slender Man's own hands, he was responsible for his best friend's death. He screamed long and loud, until he was sure his vocal cords were damaged and raw, and let his head hit his knees, trying to scream but wincing when his voice came out scratchy and hoarse. He knew that would hurt later. He was looking forward to it. Finally after hours of sitting and sobbing, he managed to pull himself together long enough to get up and make his way back home alone in the dark. Tomorrow was going to be a total hell.

* * *

><p>"Okay, class…as I'm sure you've all heard, Kenny won't be joining us today. Or…well, ever again." The Home Ec. teacher looked at Parker sadly, and walked up to him and patted his back comfortingly. "So, I want you all to help Parker feel more loved than ever before. After all, Kenny was his closest friend. So show him lots of love, okay girls?"<p>

"Yes ma'am!"

"Good!" She smiled and explained the events for class: they were to sew up a dress for Halloween, and would be putting it on mannequins for display. Parker was put in a pre-existing group with two girls and then they were all shooed away to the sewing area of the room. The girls let Parker go first, insisting it was only polite and that he probably wouldn't get as detailed as they would be. He sighed and grabbed some soft pink fabric and some black, and began cutting out his own designs for the dress. He sat down at the sewing machine heavy-hearted and began sewing up the pink fabric to form a short tube dress, making sure to leave extra room at the bottom for the black. Circles were cut from the black back at a table while the girls used the machines, and a few thick strips of black were cut away as well. He let out another sigh as he readied the needle and thread, and stitched his additions onto the pink dress; the circles were scattered all about, and a black strip was sewn onto the bottom of the dress, making the whole thing look bunched and scrunched at the end. A little smile tugged at his lips as he gazed at his nearly-finished creation, and he quickly added the other black strip up at the top, letting the long ends hang down freely on either side so that the wearer could tie them behind their neck. When it was finally finished, Parker's smile grew and he hastily put it on the nearest mannequin, crossing the ties in front and tying it up behind its plastic neck. The dress looked beautiful, in a very simple way.

The teacher and a few girls came up to look at it in wonderment, gasping out "Ooh"s and "Ahh"s at the brunette's masterpiece. "I'm impressed," the teacher admitted, writing down Parker's grade in her grade book. "You get an A plus; well done, young man! This one will make a lovely addition to the collection."

"Collection?"

"Yes, we keep all of the students' best dresses on display for future classes. Don't worry though; yours definitely will be in there!"

Parker looked at the teacher, than at his dress, than back at the teacher. "Can't I keep it?" he asked almost sadly.

The teacher raised her brows in surprise. "Uh, I suppose…none of my students have ever really asked me that before. Are you positive you don't want to leave it here with me?"

The brunette nodded his head. "I promised my sister I'd make her a pretty dress for Halloween."

"Oh, well in that case, tell her she's a very lucky girl." The teacher smiled and patted his head, and went off to grade the other girls' work.

* * *

><p>There was a knock at the front door that afternoon. Curious, Parker trotted down the stairs and peeked out though the hole in the door. It was Kyle; no Stan or Cartman, just Kyle. This struck the brunette as a little odd, but opened the door anyway. He greeted the redhead and let him in, offering him a glass of something to drink. Kyle politely declined and sighed, dumping himself on the couch.<p>

"Parker…I can't stand this anymore."

"Can't stand what?" the brunette asked worriedly, taking a seat next to his upset friend.

Kyle was silent a moment before quietly replying, "Kenny's death…" He sighed and buried his face in his hands, shaking. Parker frowned and rubbed the sad boy's back, noticing the stray tears that slipped out from between his fingers. "I-I want him back, Parker! Nothing's the same anymore!"

"I know, Kyle…" Parker pulled his friend close and hugged him, rubbing his hair and trying to calm him down. "I mean, he could still be alive somewhere, you know? Maybe he just got lost or something and dropped his phone somewhere in the woods. Stuff did go down, after all." He forced a small smile onto his face and picked Kyle's face up to look him in the eye. "He's just far from home and without a phone."

The redhead sniffled and looked down at his feet. "Wishful thinking," he said a bit harshly. He glanced back up at the brunette and blinked, letting another tear or two drop to the floor. "But thanks for trying to cheer me up." He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and got up off the couch, telling Parker he'd see him later. As he opened the door to leave, he turned back and commented, "You seem to be handling this a lot better than the others." After that, he was gone.

Parker looked down and touched the spot where the red circle and X was on his hip. He frowned.

"You couldn't be farther from the truth, Kyle."

* * *

><p>Those poor guys, everything seems to be falling apart around them. Wow, I really didn't expect this one to turn out so...angsty. o_O Next one will be (mostly) angst-free!<p> 


	20. Chapter 20

This chapter was so fun to write :D Read on and enjoy, everybody!

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><p>Another week flew by with no new updates. Kyle had been coming to see Parker every few days, and they eventually grew closer. The group had gotten back to hanging out over the weekends and having sleepovers again, but they all felt the emptiness that Kenny left in his wake. Things weren't the same, but that was just something they'd have to learn to live with. At night, Parker felt more and more on edge and uneasy; maybe it was because of the fight Kenny and Craig got into. Whatever it was, it wouldn't let him rest; every day he'd turn up at school either trying to catch a few minutes' sleep during lectures, or walk around with bags under his eyes and in a haze for the rest of the day. On a few occasions he'd swear he see something dark rush past the window like a tall shadow, but everyone would insist his lack of sleep was causing him to see things. He knew they were right, but his mind wouldn't let it go.<p>

It was the day before Halloween, and everyone was in a fuss, especially the girls. They were all talking and planning out what to do for tomorrow; most of the girls were planning to dress in skimpy, sexy little outfits and get into parties, while the guys were planning on going through town and pranking little kids out of their candy. It made the brunette sick to hear such cruel things the guys were going to do, and he just wrinkled his nose in disgust when a giggling group of girls sent him a wink or two and promised to show off their costumes. He sighed and let his head rest on the lunch table, headphones pulled over his ears to drown out the other noise. His eyes slipped closed for a few blissful moments before he felt the table shaking.

'Must be Tweek,' he thought, grinning. He sighed and pulled his head up to see the blonde caffeine addict sitting across from him, coffee thermos pressed tight against his chest. Parker chuckled a little and pulled his headphones off to better hear his friend. "Hey there," he said kindly, waving. "What's up, Tweek?"

"Nngh! N-Nothing much, just – ack! – preparing f-for tomorrow…you know what t-tomorrow is, r-right?"

"Yeah, Halloween."

Tweek jerked violently and nearly spilled his coffee. Parker laughed and told him to calm down, which he did after a few more minutes of self-induced stress. "N-No…it's the night they c-come for us!"

Parker raised a brow inquisitively. "They?" he echoed. "Who's 'they'?"

"You know…" The blonde twitched and looked around cautiously like a mouse looking for a cat. "The monsters…! They come out at night every Halloween and kidnap anyone out on the streets! I-It's not safe!"

The brunette couldn't help the laugh that spilled past his lips. He tried apologizing between gasps for breath, feeling a bit bad when he saw Tweek's hurt face. He was being serious, and Parker was laughing! Parker finally calmed his laughter and covered his grin with his hand. "I'm sorry, Tweek," he chuckled, reaching across the table to pat the other boy's shoulder. "I didn't mean to laugh, honest! It's just…those are just kids in costumes; there's no such thing as real monsters."

"Not even the tall faceless man?"

Parker froze up. Tweek took notice and quickly apologized, realizing he struck a raw nerve within his friend.

"No, he's pretty real," Parker replied, eyes gone wide. An awkward silence settled over the two before the bell snapped them back to reality. They exchanged an apologetic smile before getting up to make their way back to class, fighting the crowd when it pushed them into people. On the way to fifth hour, Parker could have sworn he saw a shadow outside the cafeteria window from the corner of his eyes. When he turned to fully look at it, however, it had vanished.

'I really need to get some sleep,' he thought, pushing past the girls that flirted with him.

* * *

><p>"Hello?...oh, hi Dad…uh-huh…um, I think so…yeah…okay…alright, love you too Dad…see you when you get home." Parker clicked the end call button on his phone and flopped back onto his bed. Halloween Eve, and he had no idea what to do for a costume. Not that it really mattered anyway; he would be too busy keeping his guard up to enjoy the holiday tomorrow. A loud sigh filled the room as the brunette stared up at the ceiling. Looking back toward his closet, a sudden idea struck him. He picked up his phone and dialed a number, then waited.<p>

"Hello?"

"Hey Stan, it's Parker. Does your sister still have that spare pink wig?"

"Yeah, why?"

A smile broke out across the brunette's face as he got up and walked to the bathroom. "Bring it with you tomorrow to school, okay?"

"Can do," Stan chuckled through the line. "See you tomorrow, bro."

"Later." Parker hung up and opened the medicine cabinet, smiling down at the case of contact lenses that sat idly by his toothbrush. He knew there would be a perfect time to mix and match the colors, and Halloween was definitely it. He prepared the lenses, taking one bright green and one pink-purple and putting them in the small travel-carrier with fresh lens cleaner to keep them fresh. He pulled out his dad's makeup bag and dug through it, digging out the eyeliner and black eye shadow, and set them off to the side of the sink as a reminder to grab them tomorrow morning. He smiled again and strolled back to his bedroom, pulled out the dress he made in class, and found some striped stockings to go with it. Carefully hanging them up on the back of his door, Parker chuckled at his idea and crawled back into bed, eager to show up to school tomorrow. The only thing that saddened him tonight was the thought of Kenny not being there to celebrate with them.

* * *

><p>Slender Man chuckled darkly, staring down at the sleeping boy. Slowly a tentacle slithered its way across the bed and up the brunette's shoulder, and wrapped itself loosely around the boy's neck. He gave a gentle squeeze, just hard enough to wake Parker. When said teen's eyes opened tiredly and spotted the faceless man above him, he let out a loud scream. The appendage tightened around the boy's throat, tighter and tighter and tighter, until finally Parker couldn't breathe and felt his body shutting down. After a brief struggle of clawing at the thing around his neck, he went limp and slumped against his mattress awkwardly. A horrifying laugh echoed through the room before the Slender Man vanished from sight.<p>

"AAHHH!" Parker flew upright in his bed, tumbling over and cracking his forehead against the bedside table before landing on the floor on his back. Damn, that's gonna hurt later. He rubbed the forming bump and whipped his head around, straining to see in the dark. Thinking fast, he grabbed his cell phone and flipped it open. The light was bright enough to illuminate the room, and when Parker shone it around his dark bedroom, he found…nothing. No Slender Man, no Kenny, not even his dad. Loud footsteps running down the hall gave hint of Parker's dad coming to check on him. As he thought, the door flew open and the light was quickly clicked on, temporarily blinding the bumped and bruised boy on the floor.

"WHAT! WHAT'S WRONG!"

The brunette looked around his bedroom again, but found still nothing even in the light. He looked back up at his dad and sighed in relief. "S-Sorry Dad, it's nothing. I just…I had a bad dream again."

The blonde man frowned at his son's words, and walked over and sat down on Parker's mattress. He patted the spot next to him and smiled a little, happy nothing serious had happened. "Come here, kiddo." When Parker pulled himself back up onto his bed, the man said, "Bad dreams can't hurt you. They're just…well, they're just dreams. Your imagination. Nothing can hurt you when you're asleep, okay?"

"O-Okay…"

His dad smiled and leaned down to kiss the brunette's cheek. "Just remember, nothing in your dreams can come out and hurt you. Now try to get back to bed." He smiled and patted Parker's head before getting up and walking toward the door, saying a soft "Goodnight" before shutting off the light and closing the door again.

Parker sighed and glanced at the clock: a little after two in the morning. He lie back down and pulled the covers up to his chest, and closed his eyes. Getting back to sleep would be hard after that dream, he knew, but he really needed his sleep. Another sigh passed his lips before his mind went blank. The last thing he remembered hearing before sleep overtook him, was the faint whisper of "Sweet dreams…"

* * *

><p>The next morning found the brunette waiting a little impatiently in the bathroom. He was one of the first few kids at school, so he figured since he had the alone time, he'd get started on his costume. He slipped into the back stall of the bathroom and undressed, smiling when he kicked off his jeans and flung his shirt on top of his backpack. He held up his dress and smiled wider, feeling how soft the fabric felt against his fingers. Eagerly he pulled it on over his head and tugged down, making sure it didn't get stuck around his chest. Once it was down, he crossed the black ties across his chest and tied it up behind his neck. He looked down and smiled; it looked amazing! A little tight around the chest and fluffy down below the waist, thanks to the petticoats he added the night before. He kicked off his tennis shoes and pulled on the black and white striped stockings, and finally buckled up his black Mary-Jane shoes on his feet. Once his clothes were packed away, he exited the stall and looked into the mirror.<p>

'Almost done,' he thought, grinning wide. He tied a black choker around his neck and dug out the necessary makeup and his contact lenses, and set them on the sink's edge. Carefully, he opened the case to his lenses and held his left eye open. Balancing the bright green contact on his middle finger, he leaned his head back slightly and pressed his finger to his eyeball, fighting every instinct to blink, and moved it just a little until he felt the lens stick to his eye. A blink produced a mix of lens cleaner and his own tears, but he wiped it away and got to work with the pink-purple one, doing the same as before. After they were both in, the brunette stared into the mirror at his eyes and chuckled: he looked amazingly creepy already. He wiped his eyes dry again and set to work on the makeup.

"Parker…? Parker, you in here?" Stan walked through the bathroom door and saw the brunette, and smiled. "There you are dude! I brought the wig like you…AH!"

Parker turned and frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Y-Your face…it's all…all…"

The brunette laughed and nodded. "I know, my makeup right? It's for my costume. So you have the wig?" The raven-haired teen handed it over without a word, staring nervously at his now stitch-faced friend. Parker slipped the wig on and put it into two long pigtails, and dug something else out of his backpack: were those pieces of candy? He watched as the pink-clad teen arranged then just so in the wig and secured them in place: oh, they were barrettes! He pulled out a strawberry-shaped one and stuck it on the opposite side of the candy and smiled. More barrettes accented the hair framing his face, in the shape of little bones. As creative as it was, Stan was admittedly a little freaked out by his friend's costume. He gave him a ton of points for creativity, though.

"Okay…ready!" Parker twirled on his heel and smiled, reveling in the creepiness he'd brought upon himself. He looked down at his hands and chuckled. "I'll just add more stitches in class with a pen. Don't I look creepy, Stan?"

Stan gulped nervously. "Would it be a good thing or a bad thing if I said yes?"

"Good of course," Parker replied, smiling.

'Jeez, he's even got stitches around his mouth. It does look kinda cute on him though…' The raven-haired boy laughed softly and gave the scary boy a thumbs-up. "In that case, you look creeptastic. Ready to get today over with?"

"You know it!" The now-pink-haired teen gathered his things and headed out into the hall with his friend, taking much delight in the hushed whispers and pointed fingers aimed his way. A few girls even squealed when they saw his costume and whispered that he looked amazing. A contented sigh escaped Parker's black-painted geisha lips and he bid Stan a temporary farewell as he went to put his things in his locker and ready himself for the day.

"E-Excuse me, miss? Can you –ergh! – h-help me find someone?"

Parker chuckled and asked in his sweetest girl voice, "Who are you looking for, Tweek?"

"I-I'm looking for…wait…h-how did you know m-my name?"

"Don't scream, Tweek." The pink-haired boy turned around slowly and smiled at the panic-stricken blonde. He clapped a hand over Tweek's mouth and put a finger to his lips, signaling for the caffeine addict to stay quiet. After a moment, he let go and smiled sweetly at the shaking boy. "It's me, Parker. How do you like my costume?"

"W-What are you?"

"Full Course For Candy Addicts," Parker replied, giggling at Tweek's confused look. "It's a song. I'm supposed to be the candy addict girl. And yes, she does look like this." He motioned for Tweek to walk with him, and asked, "So, you came as a mummy?"

Tweek nodded, sipping at his coffee. "Yeah…I-I figured this way, it wouldn't bring too much attention to myself. N-Not like yours, but that n-not a bad thing!"

The stitched boy smiled and patted his jittery friend's bandaged head. "I think yours looks awesome," he said sweetly. As the duo passed a window, Parker didn't notice the red eyes staring in, or hear the slight static crackling from his phone in his stocking.

* * *

><p>"Alright everyone, take a seat!" The students crowded around the gym teacher, waiting for further instructions. The teacher scanned the kids, smiling at all the costumes. His eyes stopped when he spotted Parker near the back of the group, and everyone took notice. He composed himself again and cleared his throat. "Since it is Halloween, I thought we could celebrate. Keep in mind, since this is the last class of the day, the party will continue even after school ends. For those of you who want to stay, by all means please do; for those of you who can't stay, well that's alright too. Just as long as everyone has fun, that's all that matters. Now then…who wants to help me drag out the tables and things?" The students all cheered and sprang to help, and Parker, Stan, Kyle, and Cartman joked around and decided to help out too. They dragged a few tables to the wall where snacks and drinks would be, and then helped put up a few decorations. When Parker was putting up some cobwebs to hang from the basketball net, Damien came over and tripped Kyle, causing the pink-haired boy to topple over and tumble down, crash-landing hard on the redhead.<p>

"Whoops, sorry," Damien drawled sarcastically, "my foot slipped."

Pip walked up next to him and frowned. "That's not very nice," he mumbled. He turned back and helped the fallen boys up, apologizing for the dark boy's rude behavior. When Damien scoffed and walked away, Pip said a quick goodbye to the others and ran after his friend, calling for him to wait up.

Parker laughed and smiled after the little Brit. "Those two are polar opposites," he said more to himself than anyone else.

"You'd never guess that they're close friends," Stan agreed, nodding.

Cartman rolled his eyes. "More like gay lovers…"

"So what's wrong with that if they are, fatso?" Kyle asked harshly, sending a mean look to the fat boy. "Not everybody in the world is straight, you know."

After a short (but still pretty amusing) argument between the two, the group of friends sat back by the bleachers and watched as the party started up. Kids were flooding the teacher with questions about music and food, and he replied as calmly as possible that he was on it. He popped in a Halloween music CD and called the pizza place, ordering many pizzas and even more soda. Everyone cheered when they heard the bell ring, and soon the gym housed practically the entire school. Music was blasting and the kids were dancing, admiring each other's costumes and overall having a good time. Sometime during the festivities, Parker noticed Stan and Kyle had disappeared. When he really looked all around, he realized Cartman had vanished too. He frowned a little, wondering where his friends had gone, and suddenly heard the static coming from his phone. A chill ran down his spine as the music seemed to fade to nothingness, leaving him deaf to everything but the horrid crackling flooding his ears. His eyes darted around in a panic and squeezed shut when the noise grew even louder. Before he knew it, he was hunched over on his knees with his hands pressed tightly to his ears, desperately trying to block out the deadly static that seemed to come from everywhere. He heard a soft laugh through the din, and screamed when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"GAH! C-Calm down!"

'Wait…' Parker looked up and realized the hand on his shoulder was Tweek's. He was staring down at the candy addict with worried eyes and his usual shaking, but otherwise everything was the same. The music returned to the pink-haired boy's ears, loud and festive, and the static was gone. He looked around and saw everyone was still there having a good time. It seems the only one who noticed Parker's freak-out was the caffeinated mummy. He sighed shakily and pulled himself up, and dragged Tweek along out into the hall.

"Parker…a-are you okay?"

Parker shook his head, long pink pigtails brushing against his elbows and the candy wrappers in his hair crinkling. "No, Tweek…I have to get out of here…"

"B-But what if - "

"Tweek, I think I'd be in bigger danger if I stayed here," Parker cut in. He looked up into Tweek's eyes, pink and green meeting hazel, and frowned. "I can't take the chance of staying here and being found. I-I…I have to go."

The mummy shook in place and thought. "Then I'm g-going with you!"

The candy addict gave him a surprised look, but sighed when he realized there was no way Tweek would let him go alone. He reluctantly agreed and pulled out his phone from his stocking, and texted Stan and the others. After the text was sent, he told Tweek to stick close and together they quickly ran out into the town. Too bad they never noticed the glowing red eyes watching them from the side of the school.

"…Gotcha now…"

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><p>Uh-oh, sounds like poop's about to hit the fan...how about a nice little review to speed up the writing process? You know you want to ;D<p> 


	21. Chapter 21

"S-So where are we going?" Tweek asked, trying to keep up with Parker as they ran down the street.

"Your house!" Parker said, panicking. Was that a flash of white just now? "My house is empty and unsafe!"

The two ran fast, whizzing past little kids out for trick-or-treating. Every few seconds the phone in Parker's stocking would flare up with static, growing loud enough to even frighten Tweek beyond usual. He demanded an explanation, which Parker reluctantly gave him while they looked for the blonde mummy's house. The pink-haired candy addict told him everything, feeling somehow better yet much worse getting all his secrets off his chest. Tweek shouted that his house was just up ahead, and the two raced up to the front porch. When they looked up at the house, Tweek nearly had a breakdown: his home was engulfed in flames! He screamed and banged on the door, only to be pushed out of the way by Parker when a burning piece of roof came down and smashed against the ground. The stitched boy told the caffeine addict they had to get away before it's too late, and they took off before anything else could fall on them. In a thoughtless panic, they ran down toward Stark's Pond, bent on staying safe.

An evil grin glinted in the light of the fire as a set of eyes watched them run. "You can't run forever…"

* * *

><p>Tweek sat on the ground with his knees pulled up to his chest. He hugged them tight and rocked on his bottom, seemingly trying to convince himself that he'd been hallucinating about the fire. Parker, on the other hand, was pacing back and forth in front of the nervous-wreck, trying to come up with a plan to make everything okay again. It was obvious this was no prank-gone-wrong; this was deliberate arson, or some serious mind-fuckery. Maybe they were both passed out back at school and sharing some horrific nightmare? Oh, how Parker wished that were the case. He turned back to the blonde on the ground and sighed, and looked up toward the sky: pitch-black except for the moonlight and stars. Any other time, this would have a lovely night, but not tonight.<p>

"Fuck…FUCK!" Parker angrily kicked a rock into the water, watching it splash and make the water's surface ripple. "WHO WOULD DO THIS!"

Tweek was on the verge of tears, shaking with his forehead held up on his knees. "M-My parents…They're d-d-dead…"

In a flash the candy addict had his phone out and up to his ear, calling the blonde's parents. 'Please, please, please…' His call was answered and he smiled, but when he heard agonizing, tortured screams blaring in his ear, his eyes went wide and he started tearing up. The phone slipped from his hand and clattered to the ground, and when he looked up he saw Tweek holding back screams of his own. Parker looked back toward town and scowled; he had a pretty good idea of who was behind all this. He just hoped he was wrong. He sat in front of the mummy on his knees and petted his hair, joking that when all of this was over he'd use at least three bottles of conditioner on his head, and hugged him close in an attempt to calm him down. It seemed to work a little, but he could tell the other boy was still freaking out bad. How could anyone do this to a couple of kids?

"Oh, quite easily…"

Hang on, was that Tweek? Parker looked down and saw the blonde was crying too hard to say anything, let alone so calmly and stutter-free. A chill ran down the stitched boy's back as he glanced back toward the trees; he could have sworn he'd seen the outline of a person hiding in the shadows. He could hear his phone still on call, the screams slowly being replaced by another rush of static. 'This can't be good,' he thought, staring down the shadow with a mix between anger and fear.

Under the moonlight, he saw a bright grin stand out from the darkness and heard eerie soft laughter echo through his head. His eyes darted down to Tweek again; how could he not hear this? Something within the pink-haired boy told him to fight, so he rose up and told Tweek to stay there. Taking a deep breath, he trudged forward to the trees, and toward the sadistic grinning bastard who was doing all of this. Behind him he could hear the blonde crying for him not to go; it broke his heart and as much as he wanted to turn back and forget about their tormentor, he had to face this head-on…otherwise, they could wind up dead by the end of the night.

"Alright!" Parker passed through the trees, whipping his head all around to look for their attacker. "Where are you?" A twig snapped to his left, but when he looked there was nobody there. Evil chuckling echoed all around him, making his heartbeat speed up. He was about to die, he just knew it. "QUIT HIDING AND SHOW YOURSELF, COWARD!"

The laughter stopped instantly. Parker felt his skin grow cold despite the warm weather. Goose bumps formed on his arms and his hair felt like it was standing on end. He looked around fearfully, feigning bravery, and caught a glimpse of white. Without thinking, he launched himself at it, shouting. Unfortunately for him, it vanished on the spot, and he found himself landing hard on the ground. More laughter surrounded him as he pulled himself up to his feet, seemingly growing louder as if the person behind the voice was getting closer. Parker held back the urge to scream long enough to run back toward the break in the trees where he came from. Just as he was about to run out, a hand clamped over his mouth and another grabbed his shoulder, and pulled him back hard. Darkness surrounded the candy addict for a moment before he regained his sight and looked around: the trees looked bigger, darker…frightening, even. All the leaves had fallen to the ground, dry and dead, and fallen branches were rotting everywhere. Fog had settled around the area. The worst part, Parker thought, was the fact it was completely silent, like a television set on mute.

'Oh no…'

"Let the fun begin~"

Tentacle-like appendages shot up from the ground and wrapped painfully tight around Parker's ankle, making him scream. He struggled to free himself and, looking around and thinking on his feet, he grabbed the nearest rock and smashed it against the thing around his foot. It recoiled with a mouse-like squeak and Parker sprang to his feet and ran like hell. He flew fast as lightning over the leaves, jumped over rotting branches, and never looked back. As he ran, more tentacles sprouted from the dead foliage, waving wildly and trying to wrap themselves around his body. The sinister laughter started up again, growing louder with every step the scared boy took; soon it became deafening, and Parker had no choice but to cover his ears in hopes of blocking out the horrible sound. He ducked behind a tree to catch his breath, begging himself to wake up from this horrible nightmare. He even resorted to hitting himself in the stomach, biting his fingers, and pulling the wig off and pulling his own hair. Nothing happened; he was stuck here with that ever-growing laughter.

"Aw, what's wrong? Don't you want to stay and play?" Parker put his wig back on and darted from the tree with a scream. "Why are you running, Parker…?"

The pink-haired boy looked over his shoulder to see darkness washing over the land; everything was disappearing! How could this be happening? A rock tripped him up and before he knew it, he was sprawled out on the dirty ground, panic-stricken. When he looked up, a tall pale figure stood before him, dressed in darkest suit and tie. A malicious grin was plastered on his face as a single tentacle came around from his back and wrapped itself tight around Parker's throat. The pale being laughed while the candy addict's face lost its color, and just as the darkness swallowed them up, Parker could have sworn he saw a mop of blonde watching from behind a tree.

"K-Ken…ny…!"


	22. Chapter 22

"PARKER! G-GET UP! PLEASE WAKE UP!" Tweek shook the unconscious boy, tears streaming from his eyes like a river, and screamed at him to wake up. He even resorted to slapping him in the face; nothing worked. Parker was gone. "No…no, no, NO, NO, NOO!" The crying blonde pulled his friend into his lap and hugged him tight, sobbing and screaming until it hurt. "YOU CAN'T BE GONE! PARKER, PLEASE! W-WAKE UP!"

A snap caught Tweek's attention and he looked up, terrified; a tall faceless creature stood before them, frowning down at the blonde. He seemed almost…upset? He wrapped his arms loosely in front of himself, making it look like he was hugging himself out of sadness. A tentacle-like appendage wriggled slowly out from his back and fell down gently to Parker's cheek. "He's not dead…" he said, making Tweek jump. "…just passed out…" It looked back to Tweek and grinned a little, seeing the fear in the mummy's eyes. He retracted his extra appendage and turned on his heel back into the trees. Before he vanished, he chuckled rather eerily, "Next time will be more fun…" And like that, he was gone, leaving a petrified Tweek sitting there holding his unconscious (and unknowing) pink-haired friend.

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><p>Tweek sat in the kitchen, staring at the now-awake Parker, coffee mug clutched tightly in his shaking hands. The stitched boy had woken up not even ten minutes after they'd walked through the front door, and immediately began freaking out and asking all kinds of weird questions ("Where'd Slender Man go?", "Where's Kenny?", "How did I get back here?"), all of which Tweek had answered as best as he could. He told him that sometime after he'd gone through the trees, he slipped into unconsciousness and was dreaming the whole thing. Of course, Tweek conveniently left out the part of the Slender Man showing himself and mentioning that creepy little comment; he didn't want to scare Parker more than needed. He gulped down his coffee and sighed when it scorched his throat; he always loved that feeling for some reason. He glanced toward the backdoor window and saw the shadow of swaying branches. If he didn't know any better, he'd swear it was the faceless being staring in. A strained shriek made itself heard through the little kitchen and he chugged the rest of his coffee, avoiding Parker's questioning eyes.<p>

"Huh…so, it was all just a dream?"

"Y-Yeah," Tweek mumbled, nodding from behind his mug.

Parker leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling. More questions clouded his mind, each one seemingly bringing up even more questions on top of that. His head began to hurt and he groaned, almost wishing he could relive the nightmare. Kenny was there, he knew it was him; who else had seen the Slender Man with him and then mysteriously went missing?

"Tweek…?"

The blonde looked up curiously. "Y-Yes?"

Parker could feel tears stinging at his eyes. His gaze never left the ceiling, fearful that he might start crying if he looked away. "Will you stay here with me tonight…? P-Please…?"

Tweek frowned, sad for his friend; he could see the tears in his eyes, but said nothing. "Of c-course, Parker," he murmured. His hand slid across the table to rest on the sad boy's. He smiled a little, trying to cheer him up, and whispered that everything would be alright in time. Together they put their cups in the sink and headed upstairs for the night.

"Here," Parker said, tossing the jittery blonde a pair of soft pants and a shirt. "You can wear those if you want. I'm not sure what you do for sleep wear, but…"

"T-That's alright," Tweek said bashfully, smiling a little. He tugged off his jeans and sat on the bed, wearing only his t-shirt and boxers. He smiled shyly at the brunette and pulled his knees up to his chest. "I-I don't wear pants sometimes…just feels m-more comfortable –gah!- in boxers sometimes, y'know?"

Parker chuckled and nodded. "I don't wear pants at all when I sleep," he commented casually. A smirk crossed his lips when he saw Tweek's cheeks flush. "Just so you know. Oh and also, I'm the cuddly type."

Tweek gulped nervously. "W-What does that mean…?"

"It means there is a great possibility of you waking up with a pants-less me clinging to your side," Parker replied, laughing. He excused himself but returned moments later, wearing one of his over-sized button-up shirts. He hit the lights and crawled in bed next to Tweek, and sighed in a mixture of contentedness and sadness; he and Kenny did this too. Only he and Kenny were…closer than he and Tweek. Sure, they're close friends, even if they're bonding over Craig being sick and Kenny dead, but… He shook his head and turned on his side to face the wall. Tears were slipping out from his closed eyelids, trickling down and dampening his pillow. He felt as though he were betraying Kenny by doing this, but why? He's gone, as far as he knew, and it's not like he and Tweek are as intimate as he was with Kenny. Besides, Kenny and Tweek shared similar qualities: blonde hair, they were both his friends, they both cared about him, they both could be considered his prince there to save him in his time of need…

'Oh my god!'

He flew out of bed and rushed out down through the front door. He looked hard, despite not being able to see without his glasses, and swore he saw a very faint outline of his presumed-dead best friend. A smile glinted dimly at him through the dark, and there was no doubt in his mind: Kenny was back! With a tearful smile, the brunette ran toward his smiling friend, vaguely aware of a certain screaming Tweek following a few feet behind. Closer and closer, until he was nearly within arm's reach, but he suddenly felt the scrawny blonde behind him wrap his arms around him and stop him in his tracks. A nervous twitch and stuttering told him something was up. The brunette glanced over his shoulder at the jittery boy attached to his back; why was he crying? A quick look back ahead revealed no Kenny, much to Parker's disappointment. Just more darkness and empty streets.

"P-Parker! What are you d-doing?"

The brunette blinked, confused. "Didn't you see him?"

"See who?"

Parker's voice broke. "K-Kenny…"

Tweek hugged him tightly and rested his chin on the crying brunette's shoulder. "Parker…Kenny's d-dead, remember? Well actually…we don't know for sure - "

"He's still alive!" Parker shouted, burying his face in his hands. "I know he is! He was just right here! He was…he was smiling at me…!" He sighed shakily and crumbled; he fell to his knees and began sobbing his heart out, everything around him fading away to some forgotten place in his mind. He didn't hear Tweek's promises to make him feel better, he didn't feel him pick him up and carry him back home to bed, and he didn't taste his hesitant coffee-flavored kiss press chastely to his own quivering lips.

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><p>Looks like Tweek has some feelings for our little nervous-wreck :D Did Parker really see Kenny, or was he just seeing things? And what about the Slender Man's creepy remark? Hope Tweek doesn't go missing now too~<p> 


	23. Chapter 23

"How could you? Why would you betray me like this?"

"Kenny it's not…I-I don't…wait, what are you doing!"

The orange-clad blonde stared at the brunette with heartbroken eyes and frowned. He backed away from him with tears streaming from his clear blue eyes, and cried out, "You broke my heart, Parker…why? WHY!" He stopped in front of the carnival entrance, surrounded by the bright lights and cheerful music. The trees around them swayed to a phantom windstorm, shaking and striking fear through the brunette's soul. He watched his friend stand there, crying because of him, and dropped to the ground with his head bowed to hide his own sorrow. "K-Kenny…I'm s-sorry! I thought you were gone! Please…!"

"NO!" The blonde screamed and shed more tears. The air seemed to pick up around him, whipping his hair all about wildly. He hovered above the ground and glared down at the frightened boy. His tears, once clear as crystals, turned murky and dark; it looked as if he were crying tears of blood. His frown faded, as did the cheer in the music around them, and instead grew into a twisted grin in time to the sinister tone within the melody of the music. He drifted higher into the air and laughed. His body stretched grotesquely, snapping and cracking and popping, until he looked to be towering high above Parker's head. The scary blonde grinned down at him and let his bloody tears fall, landing with a sickening drip, drip, drip on the other boy's face. He felt his body being poked with sharp objects when really it was the blonde's sharpened fingers touching him, and whimpered in pain. His eyes widened and he let out a piercing scream as Kenny's smile ripped from ear to ear, and swallowed him up in darkness and the screams of the slaughtered.

"OH F-FUCK! WAKE UP, WAKE UP! P-PARKER – ERGH! – SNAP OUT OF IT!"

The brunette's eyes flew open in a panic. He looked around wildly and struggled to get away, despite the fact that his body was still asleep. In his attempt to run away, he ended up smacking Tweek in the face and nearly landing on his arm the wrong way when he fell over onto the floor. The nervous blonde picked him up and sat against the headboard of his friend's bed with the hallucinating boy leaning against his chest. Parker screamed at him to let go and get out, but Tweek didn't move a muscle; he wouldn't abandon his friend, especially after a dream bad enough to scare him this much. He shushed the screaming brunette softly and tried rubbing his back to soothe him, frowning when Parker ranted that Tweek leave. He shook his head and hugged Parker tight, ignoring the kicks and the thrashing around until he'd settled down. Once the terrified movement stopped, Tweek stared down worriedly at his friend: he was in hysterics, sobbing and screaming and otherwise not making any sense. It broke the coffee addict's heart.

"P-Parker, please," Tweek begged softly, "please, c-calm down…what happened?"

Parker buried his face in his friend's chest, trying to stifle his sobs. He didn't know how to tell Tweek about his dream; he couldn't tell him about it! How could he say Kenny was in it and turned into a murderous monster without having another breakdown? Instead he hugged the skinny blonde and continued to weep into his shirt, taking some comfort in his gentle touch and stuttering but caring voice. Somehow through his muffled crying he'd managed to tell Tweek he'd spill it later, and Tweek just nodded and kept rubbing his back. Eventually he slipped back asleep, long after his head started hurting and Tweek's heartbeat slowed to normal and calm. It made for a comforting lullaby; as long as he heard it in his sleep, the mental manifestation of his guilt of betrayal didn't rear its terrifying grin.

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><p>Kyle, Stan, Cartman, and Butters stared worriedly at Parker later that afternoon. They glanced at one another nervously; Parker had been acting strange all day, and he wouldn't tell them why. He looked horrible, to be honest. He looked tired beyond belief, but would deliberately keep himself awake by any means necessary. Butters even noticed in science class earlier that when they were using fire to heat an experiment, Parker had purposely stuck his hand over the flame. He'd been sent to the nurse shortly after for serious burns. When they'd caught wind from Butters, they each bailed from class just to come check on him and berate him for doing something so stupid. And just as they'd gotten then, they were getting the same response now: a vacant, glazed-over stare into space. They were worried, to put it lightly.<p>

Kyle nudged their friend gently with his foot, furrowing his brows when he got no response. He looked to Stan, who shrugged his shoulders with steadily-growing fear behind his sapphire eyes. Cartman sighed and squatted down to get the brunette's attention, but got no further recognition than the others. He frowned and muttered a curse under his breath, and looked up at his friends with a hopeless expression. Parker was lost within his own thoughts, and there was no bringing him out of it. He just sat there, cradling his burned and bandaged hand, slumped against the wall staring into space with an unreadable expression on his pale and tired face.

"Guys," Stan whispered, pulling them aside, "I'm really scared for Parker. You don't think he's…"

"What?" Cartman asked.

"…Suicidal?"

Kyle's eyebrows flew up. "What? No! Come on Stan, this is Parker we're talking about! He wouldn't do that, right?"

The raven-haired boy frowned at his green-eyed friend as if to confirm their fears. They fell silent and all cast a glance back at the boy in question: he was crying now with that same empty stare, but didn't seem to even notice. To the group of friends, this was scarier than any horror movie they'd seen. They really thought he was in the mindset to take the jump. To be cautious, each one of them devised a plan to keep a close watch over him. It was at least until he got better. After all, it's not wrong if it's to save his life, right?

Parker drifted back to reality when he heard his friends' hushed whispers. His eyes shifted over to find them huddled close and whispering to each other; no doubt some kind of secret concerning him. He looked back up at the windows near the ceiling, staring out almost lovingly at the sunlight that filtered through. Whether it was a trick of the light, his extreme drowsiness, or a canary flying by, Parker saw a fluff of blonde outside the window, seemingly trying to look in without being noticed. The brunette felt the corners of his lips curl into a slight smile and more tears stream silently down his pale face. There was still hope, and he knew it. He just wished he could figure out why his friends looked at him so sadly when he smiled.

* * *

><p>"T-Thanks for –ah! – coming with me, P-Parker," Tweek said, smiling a little. The two were taking a stroll up to the hospital to visit Craig, and hopefully get some idea of why Parker had been acting so odd. Not that the brunette knew about the second part; otherwise he probably wouldn't have agreed to come. They reached the doors and walked into the big building, where Parker nodded toward the front desk for Tweek to do whatever he needed to do, and he turned to sit down and wait. For obvious reasons, the brunette wouldn't be joining his spazzy blonde friend in the visiting room with Craig: he didn't want Craig to flip out and try to kill him again. He told the other boy he'd join him when they knew for sure that Craig was coming back to normal. Tweek signed in and took his place next to his burned friend, and fidgeted, nervous about going through with this. After a reassuring one-armed hug from Parker, he sighed shakily and smiled, gaining nerves.<p>

"Okay, Tweek? You can go ahead and take a seat in the visiting room. Craig will be down shortly," the lady called from behind the front desk.

Tweek held back a nervous shout and gave the brunette a thumbs-up before he disappeared down the hall. Parker smiled after him and sat idly in the waiting room, looking around and admiring how clean and white everything was. It would certainly be the perfect place for a person afraid of germs…well, maybe just out here away from sick patients, anyway. As he looked down at the reflective floor, he caught a shadow staring at him from behind the front desk. His head slowly lifted up and his eyes widened in shock and awe: Kenny was here after all! Dressed in a white hospital gown and hiding playfully behind the lady with a mischievous grin on his pale face. He raised a finger to his lips at Parker and looked at the computer next to the lady. With the flick of his wrist, an ear-grating sound erupted from the computer, making the woman shriek. She quickly ran down the hall and turned a corner to get the technician, and Kenny looked back to Parker and his smile widened. He waved him over and walked toward the hall.

"Kenny, wait!"

Turning back to see Parker hadn't moved, Kenny frowned; it made Parker feel uneasy. The blonde regained his smile and rushed over to his nervous friend, pulled him to his feet, and guided him quickly down the hall to the elevator. The two rushed in before anyone could stop them, Kenny pushed a button, and the doors closed. They were on their way up to the top floor, Parker noticed, and he glanced sidelong at his friend: Kenny still smiled, but it seemed extremely forced and out of place. It was starting to scare the other boy now. Trying to seem cool and unafraid, he looked for an emergency stop button, but found none. Kenny seemed to notice this and frowned. In a matter of seconds they reached their stop, and Kenny grabbed Parker's wrist and led him down a winding, dark hallway to an empty room: presumably his, Parker guessed. The blonde pulled out a key on a string from around his neck and jammed it into the lock and, after hearing a rather loud click, opened the heavy door excitedly and motioned for Parker to go in with a wide smile.

The brunette looked back for anyone else within sight. Nobody. Just them, alone on this floor. He turned back to his friend with a heavy (and fearfully pounding) heart and shook his head, frowning. "Kenny, I-I can't. I can't go in there with you. I'm sorry…"

The blonde's smile slowly faded as he stared Parker down with wide, hurt eyes. He nodded into the room again, unsmiling. Parker had a bad feeling about all of this, and apologized again quickly before turning on his heel and running back to the elevators. Once inside, he clicked a button and sent a fleeting look to Kenny before the doors closed; Kenny looked sad and angry. It was obvious he didn't want Parker to leave. Once the brunette reached the bottom floor again, he looked around cautiously and found nobody else in the hall with him. He walked back to the waiting room, but upon doing so he passed the visiting room. He stopped for a moment and looked in; Tweek and Craig were sitting together on the other side of the room with Craig's assigned babysitter of sorts, while other patients and their visitors were scattered about. Tweek looked unbelievably nervous, while Craig had a somewhat normal expression to him, besides the red eyes. At least he wasn't smirking like he did that day in the locker room.

"Parker."

He whirled around and came face-to-face with Kenny again. This time, the blonde wasn't smiling at all; he had somewhat of an ominous poker-face. He stared at Parker with those wide unhappy eyes, and tilted his head slightly to the side. "Won't you come play with me, Parker? I've been so lonely without you…"

The brunette had chills now. He knew something was wrong, very wrong. How did nobody else notice him standing here like this? He wanted to scream but couldn't find his voice. It seemed that he was trapped. Helplessly he glanced into the visiting room at Tweek, who finally looked up and noticed him. When Parker turned back to face Kenny, he was gone. He scrambled back to the safety of his chair in the waiting room before the blonde decided to come back, and sat trembling until Tweek reappeared some fifteen minutes later. As they left the hospital, Parker could still feel Kenny's gaze boring into the back of his skull, and shuddered. Something was definitely wrong here, and he didn't want to stay long enough to find out.


	24. Chapter 24

Twists ahead! Expect the unexpected! Okay, I'll quit screaming now lol enjoy :D

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><p>The rest of the evening was spent with Stan, Kyle, and Cartman; they were surprised to see him acting so normally, but they were quite happy nonetheless. Together the four of them played video games at Cartman's house and taunted the losers relentlessly. Parker told them about the incident at the hospital with Kenny, and they seemed just as freaked out as the brunette was. While it was possible, it did seem incredibly unlikely that Kenny would be alive and in a place with other people from town. Stan hated to say it, but he thought Parker might have been imagining the whole thing, or following a Kenny look-a-like the whole time. Parker had, of course, gotten upset at this but as reluctant as he was to stay, he didn't leave in a fit of anger; instead he insisted up and down that it was the real Kenny, just really creepy and unsettling. After a brief argument between the brunette and the raven, the four went back to playing Super Smash Brothers Brawl to take out their pent-up frustration on each other's characters instead of each other. All in all, they had a good time.<p>

* * *

><p>Weeks passed, and Parker found himself joining Tweek more often in the hospital with Craig. After the tenth visit, Parker felt ready to face Craig again; big mistake, he flew off the handle and tried to bash Parker's head in with the dice cup for Yahtzee. A few doctors rushed in and put him in a straightjacket on the spot, and suggested the two teens leave. After that Parker just stuck to waiting in the other room. Every time they came to visit, Parker would always catch something watching him from the hallway: some days it would be Kenny, other days it would be a tall dark shadow rushing past. One had to wonder how nobody else noticed these things, especially when they were right in plain sight.<p>

School passed rather uneventfully. Most of the time was spent with friends in class, lunch time with Tweek, and after school mostly with either the jittery blonde or Stan and his group. It was growing more into a larger group with Butters and Tweek joining in, but nobody seemed to mind. Parker couldn't help but feel like it was starting to become a sort of replacement for Kenny's absence. This caused many a gloomy day, until of course everyone jumped on him in a dogpile and tickled him senseless; after that he'd chase them around the house and get them back. The rain clouds over his head would go away for a while, only to return in full-force late into the night. The worst part of that was Parker would dream of Kenny turning into a jealous, betrayed monster, and wake up screaming and in tears. He didn't know how much more he could take before he'd finally snap.

* * *

><p>November passed in a flash. Parker enjoyed a nice Thanksgiving with his dad and the rest of their family at the brunette's house while his friends did the same with their families. When it came time to say grace, Parker did the honors and threw in a quick prayer for Kenny and his family, and also for Craig and his family as well. Everyone ate and caught up, inquiring about all that's been happening lately. Many laughs were had, good memories relived, amazing food eaten, and the football game watched with boisterous cheers and screams when someone screwed up. December came along shortly, as did the first snowfall of winter. School was closed the day of the first heavy snowfall, so all of the students were left to do whatever they pleased. Parker decided to catch up on some much-needed sleep.<p>

"Parker…"

The brunette sleepily sat up and looked around. Nothing, nobody else in there with him. Figuring he was hearing things, he flopped back down against the bed and let his eyes close with an almost irritated sigh.

"Hey, wake up…"

Parker grumbled and turned over on his side. He must be half-asleep already; that was when he usually heard things that weren't there. Just as he was slipping into sweet darkness, something cold brushed against his cheek. He gave a half-hearted swat at whatever it was and was met with an eerie chuckle. The brunette was beginning to feel a little scared, but kept his eyes closed. He'd read somewhere that this kind of thing could happen when lucid dreaming, and that someone could have a bad freak-out if they opened their eyes while this kind of thing was happening. The cold thing on his cheek kept touching him, slowly tracing little hearts and smiley faces across his skin, until finally the frightened boy felt a sharp pain in his cheek. Getting fed up and more frightened by the second, he rolled onto his back and glanced over to his other side. What he saw made him freeze up in pure terror.

"Are you ready to play?" he asked, evil grin spreading wide across his pale face.

The brunette bolted from his bed, screaming. He flung the door open and ran downstairs to run away from the house, only to find the first floor of his house had become a dark abyss, devoid of life or light or hope. Looking down at the sight below filled Parker with an unbearable hopelessness. When he heard wicked chuckling behind him, he spun around in time to meet the Slender Man, towering high above him and smirking down with that horrifying smile. He motioned for the younger boy to come back to him, which Parker found himself reluctantly doing. The faceless being led him back to the bedroom and closed the door, and told him to take a seat on the bed before he killed him on the spot. Parker did as he was told, eyes wide and full of terrified tears. Slender Man walked over to the window and gazed out, smiling.

"You've been seeing him around, haven't you?"

Parker was silent, watching the evil creature like a hawk. The being laughed and sent chills up the boy's spine.

"You think he's still alive out there," Slender Man said, grinning. "This Kenny boy you've become so fond of. I'll let you in on a little secret…" He turned to Parker and grinned wide, making the boy shake again. "You're right. He is still out there. And he's waiting for you, Parker."

The brunette bristled when the creature spoke his name. "H-How do you know…why are you telling me all of this…?"

Slender Man chuckled. It was laced with evil and darkness. "Consider it a…a friendly gesture."

"So, you're not trying to kill me…?"

"Well, I wouldn't say that. I just to play with my food a little before I eat it~" He stalked over to the petrified boy and caressed his cheek with a teasing smirk. "Children can teach us so much, don't you agree?" He laughed when Parker looked ready to pass out and patted his head. "Now do me a favor."

Parker gulped. "W-What?"

"Wake up."

The brunette's eyes opened up wide, revealing an empty room. He sat upright and glanced toward the window: nobody there, but it was snowing outside. His bedroom door was shut as always. Feeling a bit apprehensive, he rose out of bed and wandered over to the door and pressed his ear to the wood, listening for anything on the other side. Nothing. He opened the door a crack and peered out into the hallway: still nothing. Bravery was growing within him as he tiptoed over to the staircase and looked down. He smiled when he saw the living room down below, completely unchanged. He trotted downstairs and looked out the window. Snow fell in big heavy flakes, covering everything in sight in sparkling white. It was beautiful.

'I have to find Kenny before it's too late…'

He ran back upstairs, gathered some clothes, and hopped in the shower. This was going to be a long day off.

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><p>The brunette ran through the streets with his scarf wrapped loosely around his neck. His coat clung snugly to his torso, and his boots stomped through the fresh white powder. He was on a mission, and nothing would stop him. Not today. He ran and ran, past the Harbucks, past the little shops that littered the streets, past the houses and the people in them. His glasses were being attacked by the wet little flakes, but he didn't care. His feet led him to the hospital, where he frowned and reluctantly entered. He brushed the snow off himself and walked up to the front desk, looking around for blonde.<p>

"Excuse me," he said, "can you tell Kenny I'm here to see him?"

The woman looked up, confused. "I'm sorry, hun. Who?"

"Kenny," Parker repeated, "Kenny McCormick."

"There's never been a Kenny McCormick in here, child. I'm sorry."

Parker's eyes widened slightly. He stared her down and finally sighed. "Thanks anyway," he called, turning on his heel and exiting the building. He looked up toward the sky and felt warm tears stream down his face. He didn't bother wiping them away before venturing away toward Stark's Pond. So many thoughts raced through his mind: if Kenny was never admitted into the hospital, then why did Parker always see him there? Was it possible he really was just seeing things, and that Slender Man's been fucking with him this whole time? Was Kenny really dead after all? More tears fell at the last thought and Parker held back the urge to scream long enough to make it to the pond. Then there, he let it belt out long and loud until his throat hurt.

'This can't be real!' he thought, leaning against a tree. He sobbed and hit the tree's trunk with his shaking fist, wishing everything could go back to normal. The snow kept falling, dancing to an unheard melody, falling all around the crying teen's head like a halo. Parker's eyes were squeezed shut in an attempt to stop the tears flowing from his eyes. Only when he heard snow crunching under another person's feet did he look up. "W-What are you doing here?"

His red eyes narrowed at the tone of the brunette's question. "Can't a guy take a stroll through the trees?" He flipped his black hair out of his eyes and blinked. "What's wrong with you? Dog die or something?"

"Fuck off, Damien," Parker spat, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. He sighed shakily and glared at the dark boy beside him. "You have no idea what's wrong, and you could really care less!"

Damien's eyes glowed as he glared. He stomped up to the brunette and pinned him against the tree by his neck. As Parker struggled to escape, he never broke angry eye contact with the antichrist. In his most dangerous soft voice, Damien whispered, "You better watch what you say, kid. Don't think I won't hesitate to kill you if you say something stupid." After a moment of seeing the fear in the brunette's eyes, Damien let him go and huffed. "And for your information, I do know; it's about Kenny, isn't it?"

Parker flinched. "How did you - "

"Tweek told Butters, who told Pip, who told me," the dark boy replied simply. "Word gets around fast in South Park, so be mindful of what you say."

The brunette looked down at the ground. "Right…hey, you're from Hell, right?"

"That's right, my father is Satan. He's looking forward to meeting you."

"Ah, right," Parker chuckled, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, have you heard of a tall, faceless guy in a black suit? Messes up electric stuff, stalks people, that sort of thing?"

Damien thought for a moment before nodding his head. "I've heard a little about it, but not a whole lot. Why?"

"I really shouldn't tell you, but…well, it has to do with Kenny. I think it might have killed him or taken him somewhere or something." Parker looked back up at the red-eyed teen, frowning. "That thing has a history with me, and now it seems like it's attacking everyone close to me. Like my close friends. I'm scared."

Silence settled between the two as they looked at each other. Damien blinked and looked up toward the sky, thinking. Parker waited for him to say something, fidgeting in place. "Don't show fear," he finally said, glancing sidelong at the brunette. "If you do, it won't leave you alone. Attack it head-on. Fight it, or else it won't ever go away."

Parker nodded, fear still clutching at his insides. "Thanks for the advice," he mumbled sincerely.

Damien nodded. "Anytime." He turned and walked away, probably to torment some asshole picking on Pip again. Parker watched him leave and smiled slightly to himself; Damien wasn't as big a dick as he thought he was. He was surprised by his genuine want to help. After a while of standing under the tree (and not finding any trace of the phantom blonde), he trudged out toward the fairgrounds where he saw Kenny and Craig fight. With any luck, good or bad, he'd be there.

* * *

><p>See Damien can be a nice guy sometimes. Sometimes. For the sake of this chapter I made him nice, otherwise I'd turtle-slap the sh*t outta him XD<p> 


	25. Chapter 25

You guys won't be happy about this...Character death ahead. Bring some tissues. :(

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><p>Parker walked out toward the fairgrounds, the wind blowing his hair in his face and the cold turning his nose cherry-red. He looked up ahead: clean white snow, untouched by human or animal footprints. A little smile formed on his cold face and he hiked over to the woods, hoping that he would find his friend hiding there. Snow blanketed the treetops and fell through the breaks in the leaves. It reminded the brunette of a waterfall. He looked around for any sign of footprints, but found none. His hope was fading, but it wasn't gone just yet.<p>

'Maybe it's a little farther in,' he reasoned, nodding. Carefully he made his way farther into the woods, keeping his eyes down to the ground. After walking aimlessly for a few minutes, he finally stumbled upon tracks. Footprints just about Kenny's size. He looked up and saw more leading him farther through the trees. A quick glance back toward the direction he came from before going with his instinct and trudging forward, following the prints in the snow.

A certain faceless creature stepped out from behind a tree and smirked. "You're welcome, Parker…" He chuckled darkly before vanishing on the spot, no doubt to see how this would all play out.

"Kenny?" The brunette ran faster, following the footprints left behind by his friend. He looked around wildly as he ran, calling out for the blonde. "Kenny! It's Parker! Where are you?" He wasn't watching where he was going, and smacked into a tree. With a pained shout, he stumbled backwards and fell into the snow, instantly feeling its icy sting through his gloves and jeans. "Dammit…! Ugh." He quickly pulled himself to his feet and brushed the snow off before it could melt into his clothes, and continued following the trail leading to his blonde friend. Darting through the trees and sometimes going in circles, he finally found himself in a dense, dark area of the woods. Chills were running wild across his body from cold and fear, and finally he looked over into a corner of the thicket. It was Kenny!

"Kenny! There you are!" Parker smiled wide, feeling happy tears well up in his eyes, and rushed over to his friend. "Christ, where's your coat? You'll get frostbite out here like that; here." He pulled off his own coat and wrapped it around the silent blonde. "There, that's better. C'mon, let's go back home before we get buried out here…Kenny?" The brunette shook Kenny's shoulder, trying to get him to look at him. "Dude, why are you facing away? You're not a little kid in the corner anymore. Kenny?"

The blonde finally turned around, and Parker paled; he was completely without color, just a pale white much like the snow. His hair was the only thing with its color intact, and shone golden like sunshine. His eyes were hidden from the nervous boy, but a tiny smirk was present on his colorless face. When he spoke, it hurt Parker's ears like nails on a chalkboard.

"I told you, didn't I Parker?"

"What?"

"Tweek…" His smirk widened, much to Parker's horror. "I told you to stay away from him, but you didn't listen…I think proper punishment is in order here."

The brunette blushed. "W-What do you mean? Kenny, please!"

Kenny put a finger to Parker's lips, chuckling when he felt the scared boy tremble under his touch. "Just let this happen, and I'll forgive you. Okay?"

"What are you gonna do?"

"Heh, you'll see…" With that Kenny walked away, never catching Parker's eye with his own. He hiked quickly to the break in the trees ahead, and seemed to disappear from sight. When Parker ran up ahead to ask him again, he gasped when he saw Kenny was gone, his footprints the only signal of where he went to.

'This can't be good…' He rushed ahead, following the prints to find out where the strange blonde vanished to. He followed them back to town, down the streets, around corners, and finally stopped outside a building. He looked up and his eyes widened in fear. Tweek's coffee shop. He burst through the door in a panic and looked around, finding nothing and nobody. He frightfully made his way up to the counter and found a mess: spilled coffee everywhere, sugar and cream in piles soaking up the hot liquid, and a broken coffee pot and many knocked-over cups littering the floor. 'Oh no…!' A loud scream could be heard in the other room. Parker ran through to the back, slipping on the coffee, and fell into a shocked silence. There before him was Tweek lying on the floor, surrounded by a pool of his own crimson blood with a lifeless dull look in his hazel eyes. His throat was slit, spilling more blood down his chest and onto the floor under him, and standing over him with a malicious smirk was none other than Kenny, blood staining his hands and clothes and splashed a bit onto his bangs. He turned to the silently crying brunette and smirked wider, bringing his fingers up to his mouth to lick the blood off.

"I forgive you now, Parker," he whispered.

Parker stared down at Tweek's lifeless form and brought his hands up to his own mouth, holding in his disturbed and disgusted screams. He dropped to his knees and let the tears fall freely, Kenny's evil chuckling filling the room. The blonde held out a bloody hand to the crying boy and whispered, "Nobody will ever come between us now. We can be together…forever."

"H-How…how could you, K-Kenny…? Why…?"

The blonde grabbed his friend's hand and pulled him up to his feet. Gripping his chin and turning it to face him, he replied, "He wanted you, Parker. He wanted to take you away from me, and I couldn't let that happen." He brushed his hair out of his eyes and gazed down at Parker; his eyes were pitch-black except for a little white orb in his right eye. It terrified Parker beyond words. Kenny was becoming a monster. The blonde narrowed his eyes threateningly at the crying teen and pointed to the dead boy on the floor. "He tricked you into betraying me and stole a kiss from you. You have no idea how badly that bothered me. So, he must pay the price for stealing what's mine." He cast a disgusted look down at Tweek's body and spat on his face. "I'd say we're even now, wouldn't you?"

With blurry, tear-filled eyes, Parker looked up at Kenny and screamed, "HE WAS MY FRIEND! WE THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS!"

"Are you not happy?" Kenny asked, frowning.

"NO! BRING HIM BACK! BRING HIM BACK RIGHT NOW!"

"Unfortunately, I cannot."

Parker glared and curled his fingers into shaking fists. "I…I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU KENNY MCCORMICK!" He ripped his arm away from the monstrous blonde's grasp and ran out of the room and out of the coffee shop, sobbing and screaming loudly for the loss of his coffee-addict friend. He didn't know where he was going, but he didn't care; anywhere away from Kenny was way better. His legs carried him to the other side of town to Stan's house out of habit. He flung the door open and ran up the stairs, banging on Stan's bedroom door obnoxiously. Shelley poked her head out of her bedroom door but quickly hid again when she realized it was Parker at her brother's door. After a few unbearably long seconds, the raven-haired boy opened his door angrily and pulled the frantic boy in by his wrist. Once the door was shut again, he turned to the sobbing basket case and demanded an explanation.

"I-It's K-K-Kenny!" the brunette sobbed. He was on the brink of insanity, Stan could tell. The grumpy boy sighed and sat his hysteric friend down on his bed and wrapped an arm around his shoulders comfortingly. "H-He's back! A-A-And he k-killed Tweek! I-I think he's b-becoming a m-m-monster!"

Stan listened to the other's story silently, frowning and looking very sad himself. He got up and looked out his window, glaring down at the ground below. "Are you positive?" he asked solemnly . When Parker nodded, he cursed under his breath and picked up his phone, calling the others and letting them know what's up. After explaining to them what was happening, he told Parker to call his dad and make arrangements to stay with them for the next week or two. Parker nodded and dialed his father's number, trying to calm himself down a little. As he did this, Stan looked back out the window and narrowed his eyes; he wouldn't let anything happen to Parker, especially at the hands of their friend-turned-murderer.

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><p>I know this was short, but next chapter should be longer. And without another fatality! Leave a review, it's what Tweek would have wanted.<p> 


	26. Chapter 26

A few secrets are revealed in this chapter, and it might not be what y'all were expecting! Also, mild abuse in this one. Nothing too bad, I promise. Enjoy~

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><p>There was a knock at the door some fifteen minutes later. Stan assured the brunette it was Kyle and Cartman before opening the door and letting their two friends in. They were toting their backpacks and overnight bags, and each had a solemn look on his face. Kyle dropped his things and hugged Parker tight, whispering that they would protect him no matter what. Cartman nodded, hatred burning behind his brown eyes. He dug through his overnight bag and pulled out a hunting knife, saying that he'd kill Kenny himself if he so much as looked at Parker the wrong way. The three boys made a plan to stay by their terrified friend until Kenny was gone for good, and swore to protect him with their lives. Parker was touched, but secretly didn't want Kenny dead; he just wanted him to go back to normal.<p>

"Uh, guys?"

"Huh?"

The brunette glanced toward the window and bit his lip nervously. "I-I have to go home," he said. "I didn't bring a-any of my stuff…"

Cartman made his way to the window and peered out. It was starting to get dark out fast, which meant they had no time to waste. "Okay, let's hurry up and get your stuff, and then come back." He told Stan and Kyle to get their weapons, and the four boys headed out toward the darkened town streets.

The hike there was unbearably long, despite how quickly they were running through the snow. Cartman took the lead, marching in front of the others for protection. Stan and Kyle were on either side of Parker, linking their arms together for the added comfort of touch to soothe the teary-eyed boy's nerves. All was silent around them; almost eerily silent, in fact. The only sounds were their breathing and the crunch of snow beneath their feet. Parker looked around wildly for any sign of the Slender Man or Kenny, and almost smiled when he found none. He was safe…for now. Soon they reached the boy's house and walked in with him, insisting that it was for his own protection. They guarded his bedroom door as he packed a bag full of clothes and his phone charger, and called in to him that he'd better grab something to protect himself with. When he was done, he slipped his arms through the straps on his backpack, hauled his overnight bag over his shoulder, and rushed downstairs with his friends. He stopped and looked back toward the kitchen, and told the others to wait while he went on got something. When he returned, they flinched when they recognized the gun his father nearly blasted them with. The brunette nodded and hurried back to Stan's house along with his friends. He felt safer already.

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><p>The next few days at school were murder for the group, especially for Parker. Every day he'd catch something staring in at him from the cafeteria windows, blonde hair shining bright under the winter sun. He always wore a frown and would tap the glass in an attempt to make Parker come to him. Some days he'd be wearing a smirk, sharp teeth gleaming behind colorless lips. Parker just wished he'd go away. Lunch was hell for him now; Stan and Kyle and Cartman were in class, Tweek was dead, and everyone else avoided him. Apparently rumor had gotten around that he'd killed Tweek himself, but there was no evidence that it was true; not that anyone cared about that. Parker didn't know who started the rumor, but it didn't matter. He was public enemy number one.<p>

Home Economics was just as hard. Without Kenny in there with him, Parker felt painfully out of place. The girls in there teased him to no end, and some even acted outright horrible to him, calling him things like 'murderer' and 'freak', and even going as far as to mess with his cooking or ruin his sewing. By the end of class one day he'd broken down into a crying fit tucked under the sink at his cooking station. The only way Kyle found him was because of his muffled sobbing echoing in the empty classroom. The redhead promptly helped him to his feet, wiped away his tears, and hugged him tight with encouraging words that everyone else was wrong.

Gym class was slightly better. At least in there Parker had his remaining friends by his side. On this particular day, however, the class was playing soccer indoors because of the snowstorm the night before. It figures that even in three feet of snow, South Park schools would still be open. The class was split into two teams, with Stan, Cartman, and Kyle in the same team as Parker. The game went decently until someone kicked the ball at the brunette's head: it bounced off the side of his head and knocked his glasses down to the floor with a heart-stopping clack. He bent down quickly to examine them, and heaved a relieved sigh when there wasn't any damage to be seen. A few minutes later, another shot was taken at Parker, this time aimed at his stomach. It connected painfully and knocked the wind out of him, making him gasp for air with wide eyes. Stan found himself in a fistfight with the kid not even two minutes later, yelling at him that his ass was as good as kicked. The group went back to Stan's house that afternoon with Stan tending a broken nose and a black eye, and Parker with what felt like a few broken ribs and a giant bruise around his temple. Cartman and Kyle weren't happy, to say the least.

"Ah, fuck!"

"Hold still, dammit!" Cartman said, scowling. "You're in pain because you won't sit still!"

Stan narrowed his eyes and hissed when Cartman's fingers touched his nose. "It hurts because you're trying to fix my nose yourself! Can't we just go to the hospital and get it fixed?"

Kyle sat in the raven-haired boy's room, running his fingers through Parker's hair absently. He noticed the other boy flinch when the word 'hospital' was mentioned, and looked down at him with a little smile. "We don't have to go if you don't want," he murmured softly. "I've heard about the incidents…"

"But what about Stan and Cartman?" Parker asked, looking up at the redhead.

"I'm sure they'll be alright by themselves." He smiled slightly wider and gingerly removed the brunette's glasses, sighing a little when he saw how much the bruise had spread. "Besides, they'll have their protection with them. They'll be fine."

Parker blinked and frowned. "Are you sure?"

Kyle nodded.

Cartman walked in a few minutes later, arms crossed in annoyance and Stan coming up behind him with blood leaking from his nose. He was glaring at the back of the fat teen's head and flipping him off wildly with both hands waving around in the air. Kyle and Parker busted out laughing when Cartman gave them a confused and angry look.

"Well, Stan wants to go to the hospital to get his nose fixed. Are you guys going?"

The redhead shook his head. "Nah, too much crap happens there to Parker. I'll stay here with him while you guys go on ahead. Be sure to take backup, just in case."

Stan nodded. "You guys keep yours close. We'll be back in a little bit. Come on, fatass."

"Up yours, Stan."

The two trotted downstairs and out the front door, making sure to lock it behind him and shut it tight. They waddled through the snow off toward town, leaving Kyle and Parker to themselves in the empty house. Kyle smiled back down at the bruised brunette in his lap and moved his hair out of the way to get a better look at the bruise on his face: it was starting to spread up toward his eye and down toward his ear. It looked really bad, all purple and a yellowish-green toward the outside. He grimaced.

"Parker, do me a favor."

"What's that?"

"Lay on your back on the bed, okay?"

The brunette's eyes grew wide in surprise and slight fear. "W-Why?"

Kyle chuckled and assured him it was nothing bad. "I just want to see what the damage is on your stomach, that's all." He gently nudged the nervous boy off his lap and watched as he did as he was told, looking up at him with curious eyes. "Now, just let me…" He lifted his shirt a little ways, earning a shy protest from Parker. He grinned and promised nothing would happen, and lifted the fabric a little more. There was indeed a bruise forming near the top of the boy's stomach, and it looked to be going higher under his shirt. Without a second thought, Kyle pulled his shirt up to his collarbone, and stopped completely with a confused and shocked look on his face.

"Uh, Parker…?"

"Yes, Kyle?"

"What, uh…what am I looking at here?"

Parker's face lit up and he turned away shyly. "That would be my bra you're looking at, Kyle."

Like the brunette said, there was a plain white bra hooked around his chest, hiding girly parts beneath the small cups. He could practically hear Kyle's brain break as he slowly pulled the blushing teen's shirt back down and walked away slowly toward the bathroom, and close the door gently behind him. Not a second later, a scream loud enough to rattle the windows could be heard coming from the bathroom. Parker couldn't help but laugh a little at her friend's reaction. After the scream had subsided, Kyle stomped back into the bedroom and crossed his arms with a glare and a deep blush.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU WERE A GIRL?"

"I didn't think it mattered," Parker answered honestly. "Besides, I prefer to be one of the guys. So…can you not tell Stan and Cartman about this? Please?"

Kyle tripped over sentence after sentence, each one more confused and incoherent as the last. Finally he seemed to get a grip on himself and asked, "So the reason your dad flipped out that day was - "

"Yep."

"A-And the reason you have so many girly things is - "

"Uh-huh."

"That's why you always hide out in the stall in gym class to get dressed…?"

Parker's cheeks turned light pink. "Ahah, yeah….I'm a girl, I get it."

Kyle sat down. His mind must have been going at a thousand miles an hour trying to process the huge shock. Parker grinned sheepishly and looked down at the floor quietly. The redhead opened his mouth a few times, before closing it a moment later; he looked like a fish out of water. After a long awkward silence between the two, he finally spoke up and asked, "Did he know?"

The brunette stiffened. "I don't think so, no. Nobody knows except me and my dad…and now you." She turned to him with pleading eyes and whispered, "Please don't tell anybody! I just want to be a boy! So please, please play along that I AM a boy! PLEASE!"

"…Alright," Kyle whispered, a little smile finally appearing on his face. He flopped back onto the bed with his hands folded behind his head. He still looked and acted a little shaken up, but otherwise he seemed alright with the fact that his close friend was secretly a girl passing herself off as a boy. The two lay there in still-slightly-awkward silence before Kyle deadpanned, "You have some small boobs for a girl, you know…"

Parker laughed. "Well I couldn't pass for a guy with huge cans, now could I?"

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><p>Stan sat on a paper-covered chair in one of the hospital rooms, anxiously waiting for a doctor to come in and fix his broken nose, while Cartman sat in a bulky chair beside him. The two have been waiting somewhere around ten minutes, with the fat teen grumbling that he could do it himself if Stan would sit still and take it like a man. A doctor walked through the door and smiled down at the two boys.<p>

"Okay, sorry about the wait kids. Now, what seems to be the problem?"

"My nose," Stan replied, touching it gingerly. "It's broken. Can you fix it?"

The man in the white coat chuckled. "Of course, my boy. Now just lie back and relax. Close your eyes if it helps." When Stan did just that, the doctor smiled. "Excellent. On the count of three, I'll fix it. You might feel a slight pinch. Alright then, one…two…" He yanked on the raven-haired teen's nose, popping it back to its original position with a loud painful scream from Stan. The doctor sighed and gave the angry teen a thumbs-up. "There we are, all fixed up. Try not to bump it though; it will take some time to heal properly."

"Thanks."

Stan and Cartman left the hospital in a hurry, eager to be back home and hang out with their friends. They just hoped they were okay and safe. As the two passed shops and houses on their way back home, Stan couldn't help but stop outside of the coffee shop Tweek's family owned. His heart felt heavy with sadness, even if he didn't know the spazzy blonde all that well. It was still hard to accept the fact that Kenny turned into a monster and killed him, but he knew Parker wouldn't lie to them about something that serious. With a sad sigh, he turned and continued on the path for home with Cartman leading the way impatiently.

A snicker ran through the empty coffee shop as black eyes watched the boys leave. His hands were still stained with blood, as were his sharpened teeth. He lifted Tweek's head by his hair and smirked at him. "I get the feeling you won't be the last," he hissed, licking the dead boy's cold cheek. "One cup of coffee please!" He laughed sadistically and tossed the head aside before disappearing into thin air, no doubt waiting for his next victim.

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><p>I'm so used to Parker being a guy, as I'm sure the rest of you are. So if you want to look at what I had in mind: Tektek dot Org  avatar / 47821830 . First three are created by me, and they are what I imagined when creating him. Also, I will keep referring to Parker as a boy, despite the fact that she's a girl. Until the others know he's a she, Parker will stay a guy. Hopefully y'all won't be confused after this...


	27. Chapter 27

Uhh, yeah, break out the tissues again. This one's sad as hell :(

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><p>The four boys were in the living room that night, deciding to sleep together as a group. Their plan was foolproof: if they slept in the living room, there was no way the monster called Kenny could sneak in without them knowing. Kyle had been sending Parker confused looks all night, silently asking if the others should know about his little secret. Parker would give him a stern look and shake his head; they would have to find out on their own, whenever that was. The four of them got ready for bed, going up to Stan's room to change. Parker told them he had to use the bathroom, and returned minutes later in a long shirt for sleep. He noticed Kyle's slight blush creep across his face, and blushed a little bit himself. This was turning out be an awkward night now that Kyle saw what he was hiding under his shirt. Thankfully the others were still unaware.<p>

"Okay, Kyle and Cartman can share the floor with Parker," Stan said tiredly, "while I take the couch. You guys can decide who gets it tomorrow, sound good?"

The others nodded and made up their spots on the floor. Cartman curled up by the wall near the kitchen, Kyle took a spot near the end of the couch under the window, and Parker snuggled into his blankets in the very center of the room. After a while the room was dark and full of snores, but Parker still lay awake and unable to sleep. He flipped open his phone and checked the time: a little past one in the morning. An annoyed sigh escaped his lips as he put his phone away and stared up at the ceiling, trying to clear his mind enough to get some rest. Just as he was closing his eyes, a sound caught his ear; it sounded like tapping. On glass. In the same room they were all sleeping in.

'Shit…' He looked up and was met with the worst possible sight ever: Kenny was standing outside, tapping on the window with a sinister smirk on his pale white face. Black eyes were staring in at him, with the one little white orb focused on him intently, almost threateningly. He snapped his fingers and walked toward the door slowly. Oh fuck, the handle was turning! The blonde walked into the living room and gently shut the door behind him, grinning horrifically down at the stunned brunette.

"I noticed you weren't at home," he whispered softly. His grin widened when Parker scooted away toward the wall. "Lucky for you I saw the footprints in the snow. What do you say you come with me and we can be together again?"

Parker shook his head slowly, tears springing to his eyes. He bumped into the far wall and stared up at Kenny with wide, terrified eyes. "G-Go away…!"

The pale blonde frowned and bent down to pick the terrified boy up. "That's not very nice, you know," he murmured, closing the gap between them. Black eyes closed as pale lips crashed against quivering pink ones, and he wrapped his arms around the trembling smaller boy. When Parker struggled to push him away, Kenny pulled back and looked at him with a hurt expression. "What's wrong, Parker? Don't you like me anymore?"

"You killed my friend!" Parker hissed, tears falling from his frightened and angry chocolate-brown eyes. "How could anyone love a monster like you?"

Kenny was silent, black eyes narrowing menacingly at the boy in his arms. His lips curled into a smirk and he threw Parker back against the wall, taking great pleasure at the pained grunt the brunette emitted. "I'm a monster, huh? I thought I was your guardian angel…" He silently sauntered over to Kyle's sleeping form and leaned against the wall beside him, evil smirk growing wide and eyes glowing threateningly. "Protecting you from the evils of the world…" He laughed to himself as, to Parker's horror, a wriggling black tentacle sprouted from his back and made its way down toward Kyle's face. It brushed against his cheek teasingly, and quickly slithered lower toward his mouth, coming to rest against the redhead's parted lips. The blonde-haired monster sent a 'Last chance' look to Parker, before quickly jamming the appendage down Kyle's throat. The redhead's eyes flew open in a panic and he gagged on the invasive thing in his mouth. His gaze wandered up and caught sight of his once-close-friend-turned-monster and he tried to scream, but Kenny's writhing tentacle-like appendage had wormed itself too far down his throat to utter a sound. Parker froze as he saw Kyle's eyes roll back in his skull and his face turn blue. When Kenny didn't feel his friend breathing anymore, he chuckled viciously to himself and retracted the extra limb from Kyle's throat, watching in twisted delight as his head hit the floor with a heavy thud. The blonde looked back to Parker and smirked.

"K-Kenny…" The brunette slumped back against the wall and slid to the floor, leaning upright with a pained look on his pale face. "Why…? He did nothing wrong…"

The blonde looked back down to Kyle's awkwardly-lying body. "I've been watching him lately, Parker. He's had growing feelings for you, just as Tweek had. He wanted to take you away from me as well." His horrible smile grew, stretching from ear to ear. "I can't let that happen. I won't let them corrupt you. They'll never force you to betray me." In one fluid motion, he bent down and stabbed Kyle in the chest with his sharpened fingers, digging through the bone and into the heart beneath it. In a matter of seconds he pulled his hand back out. It was drenched in blood, and clutched in his hand was the redheaded Jew's heart, still barely beating. Kenny smiled and extended it toward the green-faced brunette. "He won't be needing this, right?"

That was it. Parker flew up the stairs and kicked in the bathroom door before dropping hard onto his knees with his head in the toilet. His stomach lurched violently, expelling everything in it from earlier that day into the water mere inches away from his face. He heaved and shook, horrified tears leaking from his squeezed-shut eyelids while bile and acid and food from hours earlier flowed forth, sending a treacherous stench up his nostrils. Once he was sure his stomach was empty, Parker reached up with a shaking hand and flushed, listening to the water and vomit swirl down into the pipes abnormally loudly. He curled into the fetal position next to the toilet and rocked himself back and forth, trying to convince himself everything he'd just witnessed was some ultra-realistic nightmare and that he'd wake up any second with all of his friends still alive and fast asleep. When a sadistic chuckle sounded from the doorway, however, he knew there was no chance that his hopes were reality.

Kenny licked his bloodied lips and sighed contentedly. "Ah, love is sweet. Even sweeter than Tweek's. Too much paranoia in him, but the caffeine made up for it." He drifted over to the mentally-broken brunette and lifted him up bridal-style with a scary smile before connecting their lips again. Parker heaved again when he smelled and felt Kyle's blood touch his mouth, but didn't have anything else to puke up. His head was spinning, and groaned when he felt the blonde lay him down in his sleeping spot again. "I forgive you, Parker." After that, he was gone. Parker blacked out shortly after.

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><p>"OH MY GOD!"<p>

The brunette's eyes slowly opened, waking him from his nightmare. The lights were on and his friends were awake. Good, everything that had happened was just a bad dream. But wait, why did Stan sound scared? He sat up and rubbed his eyes, and looked ahead to be met with a gruesome sight: Stan and Cartman were sitting around Kyle, crying. Kyle was dead.

"What…what happened?"

Stan didn't bother to look at him as he replied, "Someone killed Kyle…!"

Cartman was in tears as well. "Took his heart right out of his chest…" In an act of fury, he punched the wall and nearly broke a hole in it. "WHO WOULD DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS!"

Parker's heart stopped and his eyes went wide. He raised his fingers up to his mouth and pulled them away again only to find dried blood caked on from when Kenny kissed him merely hours earlier. Quickly he wiped his mouth off on the back of his hand and crawled up uncertainly to his mourning friends. He stared down at Kyle's body; he still couldn't believe he was really gone. Aside from the gaping hole in his chest, he looked relatively fine. His blood had soaked through his clothes during the night, and spilled down into his sleeping bag. His eyes were wide and glassy, rolled back in his head. With shaky hands, Stan and Cartman reached out and closed their friend's eyes to make him look like he was sleeping. They cried harder, wishing this weren't real.

'I'm so sorry guys…' Parker thought, turning away with tears running down his face. 'This is all my fault…'

The three sat around their dead friend for at least an hour, crying in silence in various states of mental breakdown. Stan sat rubbing the redhead's cheek with his head bowed, Cartman was sitting against the wall at Kyle's feet and staring up at the dead teen's face, and Parker had resumed rocking himself in the fetal position. The house was empty besides the boys in the living room, and not a sound could be heard except for the occasional sniffle or sigh or whimper. The silence was deafening on the friends' ears, but none of them dared to speak; they each knew their voices would break as soon as they opened their mouths and they'd totally lose it. Another hour passed, and the snow outside was only getting higher on the ground. Nobody looked each other in the eyes. In a sudden and unexpected movement, Stan was on his feet and glaring out the window.

"We have to bury him," he whispered.

"Out in that weather?" Cartman asked, nodding toward the world outside. "We'll get frostbite in a matter of minutes, Stan."

The raven-haired teen turned his head toward his fat friend. A mean glare was pasted on his face. "We can't just leave him here, dude. He deserves a proper burial from his friends, rain or shine, or blizzard." He looked back out toward the world beyond the glass and sighed brokenheartedly. "How are we gonna tell his family…?"

Cartman quickly looked down, hiding his tears. "There's no easy way to say it, Stan, so we might as well just come out and get it over with."

Stan nodded without a word. He turned to Parker with reddened tear-filled eyes. The brunette knew what he was trying to say, and nodded. He'd help bury their friend, and would be there with them and help break the news to his family. The three sat in silence a few minutes longer before slowly rising to their feet and following Stan out into the garage. The only question now would be how they were going to get him to the cemetery...

"Cartman," the raven-haired boy murmured, standing over his redheaded friend, "carry my shovel." He handed it to the fat teen and bent down to hug Kyle one last time. Tears overflowed from his eyes as he held the dead boy tightly in his trembling arms, and a broken sob escaped his lips. Without waiting for the crying to stop, he picked the heartless boy up bridal-style and nodded at Parker to get the door. The group silently exited the warm house and made their way across town to the resting place of their best friend. The snow danced around them, seemingly oblivious to the tragedy that had befallen them that morning, and landed softly on them all. Stan stared down at the boy in his arms: the snow was sticking to his hair and face, making him look rather beautiful despite being dead. More hot tears slipped out as the three of them trudged through the streets unnoticed, and finally spotted the cemetery. The hill was steep and hard to climb, but after a few minutes of slipping in the snow, Cartman and Parker finally managed to meet Stan at the top. Kyle was set down beside him with his hands folded peacefully across his stomach. No words were spoken as the trio dug a grave for their friend, and each carefully got him into his sleeping bag, zipped him up, and placed him in the hole in the ground. The three remaining teens exchanged a heartbroken look and said a short prayer for their friend before trudging off to tell his family.

'Hn, how tragic.' Kenny appeared beside Kyle's grave, frowning after the three crying boys. He looked down at where Kyle was buried and kneeled down, tiny smirk gracing his pale lips. His finger cut through the snow in the shape of a circle, and swiped a neat X through the center and snickered to himself, spitting on his work. 'Guess you took his secret to the grave, eh Kyle?' With another sinister laugh, he vanished on the spot.

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><p>The three boys sat at Cartman's house later that night, still in a daze over earlier with Kyle. As much as it killed them, they informed the redhead's family of his sudden death; Kyle's mother sobbed hysterically, her husband cried while trying to console her, and little Ike didn't know what was happening and asked everyone why they were crying and where his brother was. Needless to say, Stan and Cartman and Parker choked up and broke down before they could even explain. They spent a good hour or two telling them everything from the time they woke up to the time they got there. Once Ike finally understood what had happened he ran upstairs and locked himself in his room for the rest of the night. He was torn apart, just like everybody else. As the three sat in the living room in Cartman's house, no words were spoken; they all knew who was behind this. And they wouldn't let him get away with it again.<p>

"Guys…" Stan and Parker snapped out of their daze to glance up at Cartman. He looked sadder than they'd ever seen him before. "I think…maybe we should stay here tonight. My mom won't be going anywhere tonight, so…" He looked up to the window and sighed. "Hopefully we'll be safe."

Stan nodded. "I hope so," he muttered. He cast glance to Parker and forced a little smile. "What do you say?"

"Sounds good." He brought his knees up to his chest and rested his forehead on them, letting a loud sigh spill into the quiet room. "Guys, I'm - "

"Shh," Stan cooed, raising a finger to his lips. "It's not your fault, Parker. You had no idea." He patted the spot on the couch next to him, and almost smiled when his sad friend climbed up next to him. "We'll put a stop to this, don't worry…"

Parker looked away, frowning. "I'm so sorry, guys…"

Cartman looked at the smaller brunette and reached an arm over Stan to pat his shoulder comfortingly. "Don't beat yourself up over it. It's not something you can control."

"…I wish it was…"

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><p>So, should I bump up the rating? I feel like I should...<p> 


	28. Chapter 28

Good news! Nobody dies in this chapter! FINALLY! Bad news...well, it's safe to say this story might go up in rating. Very strong possibility of that happening. You know what, it's going up anyway...just in case.

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><p>Time passed much more slowly since Kyle had died. To the three boys felt, days felt like weeks and weeks felt like months, and so on. Parker eventually risked going back home at night; that was a mistake all its own. Kenny would always be waiting for him, it seemed, and would incessantly tap his window in the middle of the night to keep him awake and easier to catch. Parker didn't know how much longer he could take it. He was so tired all the time, and always in a bad mood or scared witless. And seeing Stan and Cartman in gym class didn't help things in the least bit, especially when they refused to open the bathroom stalls because of a sudden breakdown. First Tweek, then Kyle…the brunette feared one of the other two were next on Kenny's list.<p>

The three boys walked back to Cartman's house after school, speaking up occasionally to say short, forced sentences. They were all still mourning pretty bad, but they didn't mind each other's silence; it almost felt comforting compared with the other kids at school who carried on like nothing happened. Word spread fast just as it had done with Tweek, and the insults had only gotten meaner since then. Of course Stan and Cartman would find the people who said those things and beat the hell out of them, but it didn't stop the fact that the brunette would be reduced to tears by the end of the day. They all walked into the fat teen's living room and dumped themselves on the couch, not even turning on the television set. Cartman's mother took notice of the boys' behavior and immediately baked cookies in hopes of getting a smile on their faces, no matter how small; it didn't work as well as she hoped, and the cookies either sat forgotten or were eaten quite slowly with teary, vacant eyes.

"I think I know how to get people to believe us," Parker said suddenly.

Stan and Cartman looked at him hopefully. "How?"

The brunette turned to them but didn't smile; he couldn't find it in him just yet. "We catch him in the act. You know, take a picture just as he's about to strike."

Cartman gave him a worried look. "So…you want us to take a picture of him killing someone?"

"No no, we'll set up a dummy for him to attack and then snap a picture while he's not paying attention. That way we'll have our proof, nobody will be killed, and he'll have to leave us alone! Don't you see? It can't fail!"

Stan exchanged an unreadable look with Cartman and sighed. "Um, Parker…what if doesn't work?"

"It has to…!"

Stan eyed him before sighing and giving in. "Well, it's worth a shot. When will he strike next?"

The brunette bit into his cookie, a sad and scared look on his face. "When he thinks I'm betraying him…you guys aren't gonna like this part."

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><p>Another month passed with no attacks, but Stan was 'getting close' to Parker to lure Kenny out of hiding. Every day the raven-haired boy would subtly flirt with the brunette and visit him at home without Cartman, all as the plan had instructed. The two would talk about nothing in Parker's room and lie back on the bed, wondering if the plan was working. The blonde's nightly visits progressively felt more dangerous, like he was getting upset; perfect. Stan and Cartman never stayed with Parker during the night at his house, as the brunette insisted the blonde might snap and attack that very night while everything they needed wasn't with them. Eventually they all set a day to prepare the sleepover, and waited.<p>

Wednesday night found Parker out running to the store while his father was at work. Snow had been falling all day and continued even into the night, leaving the brunette wading through knee-high coldness. The wind blew slightly, pushing the snowflakes around in the sky and causing Parker's hair to obscure his vision. He knew he would need a haircut soon. The store came into view and he hurried inside, eager to get out of the snow and wind and have a chance to warm up. He bought simple items: bread, milk, a few cans of soup, and some cheese. As soon as he paid and exited the store, the cold came back and slapped him hard in the face. He sighed and made his way back home across town.

'Did it colder out since I left the house?' he thought in annoyance. There were few people out on the streets, much to the brunette's relief and distress: good because it would mean getting home faster, but bad because it meant he was open for an attack at any given second. Realization hit him, and he all but ran back for his house. With the snow and hair in his face, he didn't see where he was going until-

BAM!

-he smacked into something and fell back, spilling his groceries everywhere.

"Sorry, sorry!" He pulled himself together and hastily gathered his items, apologizing to the person he hit. "I didn't see where I was going…are you okay?" He looked up and found a horrifying smile staring back at him across a blank pale face. He screamed and swung his fist at the creature, and landed a hard blow in his ribs. It grunted and roared at him, ready to attack back. Parker's eyes were squeezed shut and he bolted, but the faceless man grabbed his arm and pulled him back before he could escape. In a last-ditch effort to get away, he turned his head toward the monster and screeched until it hurt.

"HEY KID SHUT YOUR FRIGGEN TRAP!"

Cautiously the brunette opened his eyes, ready to face his tormentor, but found it was just a normal man in a business suit. He was giving Parker a mean look and holding him by his arm, preventing his escape. "Do you mind telling me what your problem is? One minute you're apologizing and the next you're screaming like a banshee and punching me for no reason! What the hell kid!"

If he weren't staring down a pissed-off adult, Parker would have laughed from relief. "Sorry sir," he said, holding back a smile. "I-I thought you were somebody else."

"Well I'm not," the man spat, roughly letting the teen go, "so pay more attention from now on, or else you'll get your ass kicked." He gave Parker another mean look before turning and walking away, grumbling under his breath about kids today.

The brunette looked around to make sure the Slender Man and Kenny weren't nearby and quickly ran home, this time watching where he was going.

* * *

><p>"H-Hello…? Oh, hi Dad…what? No, I'm fine…" The brunette packed the food away and quickly ran to the door, and locked the deadbolt near the top of the door. A quick peek out the window revealed no visitors. "Yeah, I promise…uh, no I-I uh, I bumped into some guy when I was coming home…I was running, but…well, the dark freaks me out a little, remember? Yeah, I'm making soup…alright, I love you too Dad…yep, see you when you get home…okay, bye Dad." He hung up and set his phone down on the table in the living room before stepping into the kitchen for a drink. He came back moments later with a cup of tea and sat on the couch. The only sounds in the room were his shallow breathing and the light tinkling of the spoon bumping the inside of the cup as he stirred a dab of honey in. The man earlier really scared him, not just because of the suit; it was because he saw the Slender Man, or at least he thought he did. Maybe he was just seeing things because of all the moving around he was doing? Maybe paranoia was just clouding his mind? Yes, that's probably it. His hand trembled a little as he raised the cup to his lips and sipped the hot liquid, trying to ease his mind and relax.<p>

'At this point, I hope he kills me next,' Parker thought gloomily, staring down into his cup. Some of the honey sat at the bottom of the cup like sludge, but with a better taste. He took another sip and sighed. 'Better than watching my friends die around me…' The room grew cooler around him and he frowned; did he forget to turn the heat up? As the annoyed teen set his cup down a sound resonated unpleasantly through the room: a very faint, but very scary static blare coming from the phone on the table. All color drained from his face in an instant.

"Fuck…"

Tap, tap, tap.

"No, no no…!"

An evil smirk leered in at him. "Parker~"

"NO! NO! NO!" The brunette shot out of his seat and bolted into the kitchen. Frantically he looked around in search of something to use against his unwelcome guest, mind reeling. He glanced over his shoulder in a panic and spotted him standing in the kitchen doorway. He was smiling. Parker spun around and stared at him with wide, horror-struck brown eyes. "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?"

He brushed his golden hair out of his blackened eyes. "I want your love," he murmured, smiling.

Parker felt around desperately for a knife. "K-KENNY STAY AWAY F-FROM ME!"

"Don't be like this," the blonde monster purred. He chuckled and took a step forward, basking in the small teen's fear. "We can pick up from where we last left off. Don't you want that?"

The brunette shook his head wildly, a glare on his face and frightened tears in his eyes. "G-GO AWAY! YOU'VE ALREADY KILLED TWO OF MY FRIENDS! I WON'T LET YOU TAKE ANYONE ELSE!"

Kenny took another step forward, smile spreading wide. He was inches away from Parker, and already he could see the younger boy shaking. How cute. Long pale fingers reached out and stroked the frightened boy's cheek, and nearly dug into the flesh when a gasp caught in his throat. Kenny loved when Parker looked like this; ever since the night they crashed through the window to escape the faceless suited man, Kenny had secretly longed to see his friend absolutely scared out of his mind. Something about that fright on the brunette's face made his heart skip a beat. Now that he's seen it, there was no way he'd let it go.

Parker could barely stand from how badly he was shaking. His eyes never left Kenny's as he reached back and found the knife holder, and pulled out the biggest knife from the back and swung it forward. The blonde pulled back just as the blade swung toward him, and laughed when Parker held it tightly in his trembling hands, aimed at the monster's throat. He took another swing at the tall pale monster and missed again, growling when Kenny's laughter grew louder.

"Put that thing down before you get hurt…"

The brunette narrowed his eyes in another glare and growled again, baring his teeth like a wild animal. "UP YOURS, MONSTER!" He lunged at the surprised blonde, knife raised high and a wild look in his eyes. The sharp instrument slashed downward, biting into colorless shoulder. Kenny hissed and smacked Parker away, sending him crashing against the close wall. He slid to the floor, hurt, and glared up. Kenny glared back down at him, little white orb turned blood-red, and pulled the knife out of his shoulder only to clutch it in his own hand. Tentacle-like limbs sprouted from the blonde's back and waved slowly, threateningly, before surrounding Parker with alarming speed and wrapping around him, effectively trapping him. He was lifted to eye-level with the outraged monster and tense silence followed for what felt like hours. Finally in an act of rage, Parker spit in the blonde's face with a murderous scowl. Kenny said nothing, but wiped it off with a scowl of his own and raised the bloody knife to Parker's chin.

"Don't make me use this on you," he warned, eyes narrowed. His hold on the brunette tightened, making said teen grunt from pain. It sent shivers up Kenny's spine gone unnoticed by the immobile boy. A devilish smirk crossed his lips as he strolled into the living room and up the stairs to Parker's bedroom, with the small boy screaming and cursing loudly the whole way. As soon as they entered the room, Kenny shut the door with a dark snicker and flashed the knife at the struggling brunette with a spine-chilling, "I wonder what you taste like, Parker…?"

Parker felt his cheeks burn and looked away, glaring. Suddenly he felt himself being set down and released from the blonde's grasp. Thinking quickly, he sprang for the window, but stopped in his tracks when Kenny blocked him with lightning reflexes. The blonde grabbed him by his wrist and wrapped a long arm around his waist, making him blush harder in spite of the situation. A smirk appeared as the brunette was shoved back hard onto his bed and pinned down under the pale creature's weight. He stared up at him with wide surprised eyes, and screamed before feeling a pair of lips collide with his own. His face was on fire and he gnashed his teeth together when he felt a tongue run along his bottom lip, demanding entrance. When he thrashed and pulled away, he could feel a sharp pain surge through his lip and warm liquid trickle down from the corner of his mouth; did Kenny just bite him? A split second later, the colorless blonde's tongue had forced itself into Parker's mouth, tasting honey, tea, and coppery-sweet blood.

"Mmph, quit struggling!" Kenny pulled back, black eyes half-lidded and breathing heavily. He leaned down and attacked Parker's exposed neck, practically purring when the brunette gasped. He traced a trail from his collarbone to his jawline with his tongue and blew gently, smirking when he whimpered and blushed hard. "Heh, are you enjoying this?"

"N-No…" He glanced at his rapist out of the corner of his eye and glared daggers. "I-I hate y – AH!" Another sharp pain racked his body as Kenny attacked his neck again; this time, instead of simply licking it, he bit down at the base of where his neck and shoulder connect, just above his collarbone. A rather loud moan escaped his bitten lips, causing himself to mentally scream at himself and Kenny to emit an animalistic growl while entangling a hand in his chestnut locks. Blood was leaking fast and the room was growing hazy to the brunette as he whimpered and panted, trying not to scream again from the blonde's assaults. He could feel the collar of his shirt growing damp and sticky. 'This can't be happening,' he thought miserably. Another gasp and his hands were curled into trembling fists, clutching his bed sheets tightly. He whimpered, begging Kenny to stop, but couldn't hold back a drawn-out moan when the blonde chuckled and kissed the spot he'd punctured on the brunette's neck.

"Mmm, I love you Parker," Kenny whispered against the brunette's ear.

Parker choked back a sob with a blush spread across his face. "S-Someone kill me…"

"Parker? Parker, are you okay?" The doorknob twisted, but otherwise didn't budge. "Parker, open the door! What's going on in there?"

Kenny turned toward the door and sighed. "Seems like you have company." He grinned again before crashing their lips together in a final rough kiss and pulling himself off of the other boy. After that, he was gone.

"PARKER!" The door burst open and Stan and Cartman rushed in, worried. When they saw their friend lying on his bed with a knife by his head and blood on his neck and lips, they didn't know what else to do but stand there while their friend broke down. Something had to be done, and soon; otherwise, they feared their friend would be six feet under along with Kyle.

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><p>You all know as well as I do that this was unavoidable. My god, soooo much fun to write~ Wanna make my day by leaving a nice little review? :D<p> 


	29. Chapter 29

Sorry it's been a while. I'm beginning to suspect I'm coming down with Slendersickness...ugh, mean old Slendy watching me from the corner. Maybe if I give him a hug he'll quit creeping me out. Hopefully. ^^ Um, kinda short chapter but I thought I'd try to put SOMETHING up before I completely lost my train of thought! So with that, enjoy~

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><p>"NO! I-I CAN'T GO! PLEASE!" Parker screamed, clinging to the mattress. Stan and Cartman were trying to pry him off of the bed, but were failing quite miserably.<p>

"Parker, it's for your own good," Stan reasoned, frown plastered on his face.

Cartman looked upset beside him, trying to uncurl their friend's fingers from digging into the sheets. "We can't just leave you here like this."

"IF I GO WITH YOU, KENNY WILL KILL YOU TOO!"

The raven-haired teen sighed and sat down beside his crying friend, rubbing his hair comfortingly. Kenny must have just been here; otherwise Parker wouldn't be freaking out and bleeding. Or have that knife on the bed. Stan made a face and set it on the ground at the end of the bed so as not to have anyone get hurt. "Please, Parker, please calm down. Nobody's gonna kill us, okay?" He tipped the brunette's chin up to look at him and smiled reassuringly. "Besides, we can't let you stay here by yourself. Safety in numbers, you know." When the crying boy shook his head frantically and refused to go, he looked to Cartman with a helpless look. The other teen shrugged with a frown.

Parker sniffled and curled into a ball, shaking badly from fright. "I don't want you guys to die because of me…"

The fat teen took a seat on the brunette's other side. "Are you positive you won't come with us?"

Parker could only nod as more tears slipped out from his eyes. The two teens exchanged a sad look before allowing him to have his wish to be left alone. They gave him comforting words and said if he needed to talk they would answer, and left his house rather reluctantly. The brunette didn't bother turning off the lights or changing his clothes before crying himself to sleep.

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><p>The next morning Parker didn't show up to school. Stan and Cartman were really worried, especially the brunette never called them and gave them a reason for his absence. All through the school day they went without their friend in a haze. Rumors were popping up all over the school that Parker killed Tweek and Kyle and then himself because of overwhelming guilt. The noirette and the fat teen weren't happy, to put it lightly; they nearly got suspended for punching a few kids' lights out when they insulted Parker directly to them. The two tried texting their scared friend all through the day, even called during bathroom breaks and during lunch, but neither received any answer. They desperately hope the rumors of his suicide were just that – rumors.<p>

"We're going over there after school," Cartman said matter-of-factly.

Stan nodded silently in agreement.

* * *

><p>Back at home Parker was lying in bed, sound asleep. For once, he wasn't plagued with nightmares; he was actually having decent dreams. Ones where all his friends were still alive and by his side, smiling and laughing. A little smile graced the sleeping boy's face as he curled tighter into a ball, grasping the pillow under his head. The sun shone brightly and happily as all seven of them – Stan, Kyle, Cartman, Kenny, Tweek, Butters, and himself – ran down an unnamed beach, sand catching between their toes and not a rock in sight, and leaped into the clear sparkling water with a playful shout. They had the beach to themselves for the time being, and not a care in the world. Nothing bad could happen. They all splashed around and had a swim race before wading back to shore. As Parker crossed to the shallow end, a slight tug on his arm made him look back; Kenny was looking at him with a shy smile.<p>

"Not yet," he said. He pulled Parker back out to the deeper area and hugged him. "I wanna show you something."

The brunette looked at him, feeling a blush creep across his face. "What is it?"

Kenny looked away shyly and blushed a little himself. A soft laugh escaped his lips before pulling Parker down into the water with him. The brunette's eyes widened in fear, but when he realized nothing was happening, he relaxed. He could see Kenny watching him with sparkling eyes. The blonde grabbed his hands and drifted close, their faces less than an inch apart. Parker's blush intensified, and Kenny's lips grazed his own sweetly. Parker's eyes drifted closed as he kissed back gently, nervously. The need for air seemed to fade into nothingness as the two stayed like this, drifting deeper underwater with their kiss gradually growing more passionate. Kenny's tongue softly ran along Parker's bottom lip, and Parker welcomed it in, battling it with his own tongue. The blonde pulled him closer, wrapping his arms tightly around his torso in a plea for him never to leave. They were sinking deeper and deeper headfirst, but neither cared…until Parker felt freezing water filling his mouth and rushing down his throat. His eyes flew open to reveal that Kenny was gone, and it was just him sinking to the bottom of the beach alone. He was surrounded in dark water, and it was only getting colder. Scared, he quickly swam back up to the water's surface only to discover everyone was gone and he was left by himself under blackened storm clouds.

"What…?" A sound caught his attention and he looked up: there was an older-looking girl up on land, crying. He swam as fast as he could to reach her, but the water never seemed to end in front of him. He felt as if he were swimming for hours before he finally crawled up onto the sand. It was cold like the water. Wasting no time, he made his way up to the girl and asked her what was wrong. She wouldn't answer him; instead she just kept sobbing with her face turned toward the ground. Parker tried to get her to look at him by lifting her chin up to meet her eyes, and gasped.

"S-Sophie?"

The girl looked up, green eyes wide and red-rimmed from all her crying. Parker fell to his knees with a dumbstruck look on his face. He'd found his sister after all these years! He hugged her tight and cried into her shoulder, happy yet incredibly sad at the same time. She looked just like she did before she vanished: same long wavy brown hair, bright green eyes, and cute little freckles scattered under her eyes and over her nose. He couldn't believe after all this time, he'd finally found her again.

"Where did you go, Sophie?" he asked, pulling back to look her in the eyes. "All these years, Dad and I thought you were dead! What happened?"

She remained silent, but let more tears spill down her freckled face. She pointed back toward the trees, and Parker got chills. Standing there watching them was the Slender Man himself. No smiles on his face, no laughter resonating through the air, not even any movement; he just stood and watched. Parker stared at him blankly, not sure whether to be angry he took her away, or happy that she was back after so long. The faceless creature vanished and, along with him, so did Sophie. The brunette's arms cut through air where his sister just sat, and he stared down at the spot for a moment before bowing his head. A tortured scream shook the trees and his hands found themselves tangled in his hair before he fell forward and went silent.

A sudden loud sound woke him with a start. He sat up groggily and looked around, eyes finally coming to rest on his phone. The screen was lit and his "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites" ringtone was going off. Somebody was calling him. He reached over and answered nervously.

"H-Hello…?"

"Hey, it's Stan." The brunette sighed in relief and swung his legs over the side of the bed. "Me and Cartman are outside. Can we come in?"

"Yeah, I'll be right down." He hung up and walked out and down the stairs to the front door, and opened it wide to let his friends. He waved tiredly and explained to them that he'd been asleep all day. They seemed to relax at that, and informed him of all the vicious rumors floating around the school. The brunette looked hurt, but otherwise tried to let it roll off his back. Together the three of them hung out in the brunette's living room and watched television or played video games until Stan and Cartman's parents called them back home for dinner. After that, Parker went right back to bed without dinner. He didn't feel very hungry anyway.

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><p>Another week passed before Parker saw his sister in his dreams again. Just like the last one, he saw her crying before being taken away by the Slender Man. The only difference is this time he chased after them, running deep into the woods and sometimes, he swore, Hell itself. Screams surrounded him as he ran, things surfaced from the ground beneath his feet, and sometimes he'd come into direct contact with the faceless being trying to free his sister. Just as he would grab her hand, he'd wake up in a cold sweat with a racing heart, and swear under his breath before lying back down to try to sleep again.<p>

Friday night found Parker lying on his stomach in the living room, coloring with crayons in front of the television set. He had it set on one of the cartoon stations for background noise, and doodled a picture of his sister just as he'd seen her in his dreams. Next to her, with much reluctance, he drew the Slender Man. He glared at the drawing of the tall suited man and took a red crayon, and quickly crossed out his head. If he ever got his hands on him…

"Breaking news! Be on the lookout for an escaped mental ward patient!"

The brunette nearly snapped his crayon in his hand as he looked up at the TV in horror.

"Not even half an hour ago we received word that mental ward patient, Craig Tucker, had escaped from Hell's Pass hospital shortly after a commotion down in the lobby. It turns out that someone had let off multiple smoke bombs, causing the entire staff to stop what they were doing to go check it out. Reports indicate that nobody was hurt, nothing was damaged or taken, and nobody was in real danger; until they found one South Park teen missing from his room. Authorities advise everyone to stay in their homes and lock all doors and windows. Craig Tucker is mentally unstable and could potentially be dangerous. Call the police if you see him wandering about, we will get him back to the hospital right away."

Parker's phone went off seconds after the announcement. When he looked, it was Stan texting him. With shaky hands he opened his phone and checked the message. Stan had heard, too.

_Do you think he'd come looking for you? – Stan_

_I hope not…Hopefully he's just going home. – Parker_

_Whatever you do, just stay inside. We'll get you if anything happens. – Stan_

Parker could feel himself frowning and looked up toward the window. 'I can't promise that,' he thought nervously. 'Not if they know…'

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><p>Ohh I smell so much evil about to happen! Or maybe that's just Slendy lol go take a bath Slender Man! Don't forget to leave a review or tall pale and faceless will stand behind you in the shower :D<p> 


	30. Chapter 30

His panting was hard as he ran from them. He'd broken out of that hellhole while the hospital slaves were distracted; he'd have to remember to thank the nutcase that set off the bombs residing a few rooms away from his. Shit, police sirens were everywhere tonight. He took the back roads as much as possible, hopping over fences and running through backyards to avoid recapture. Adrenaline pumped through his veins as he ran, giving him a sort of intense high. Houses flew by as he made for home; knowing his parents, they'd be living it up with a night out on the town. As for his little sister, she'd be at a friend's house most likely. Good thing too; he wanted no interaction with them. Let's face it: not even bothering to come visit your son in the hospital doesn't exactly win the "Parents of the Year" award. A quick sweep of the streets, and Craig quickly unlocked the door with the spare house key hidden in the mailbox. He was safe…for now.

"Fuck," he muttered, looking around. The place was a mess! Dirty dishes lying about, the television was playing some crappy stand-up comedy, and it smelled like the garbage hadn't been taken out since he went away. He wrinkled his nose and climbed the stairs to the bedrooms. Parents' room: empty. Ruby's room: empty. His room: only Stripe, and the beloved little guinea pig was fast asleep. He smiled a little to himself and gathered some fresh clothes, and hopped in the shower. Damn, it was good to be home again.

Pale lips curled into an evil smile. 'You came back, hm? I think you and I should have a talk…'

Craig turned the water off some ten to fifteen minutes later. He sighed contentedly and pulled back to the shower curtain, and jumped when he saw a tall, thin, faceless man standing in the doorway. A glare broke out on his face, but he was too scared to do much else. Slender Man laughed and handed him a towel. When Craig reluctantly took it, he asked quite harshly, "Who the fuck are you?"

"That's not important," he replied coolly. "What is important is your escape from that hospital."

Craig made a face. "If you can call it that…"

Slender Man watched as the black-haired teen dried off. "I know you've been experiencing some things, Craig." A dark chuckle echoed off the walls when said boy looked up at him nervously. "Extreme anger and violent outburst towards the new student at your school…sound familiar?"

"How did you know?"

"I know a lot of things, child. I know that you're angry at him. I know you won't let him get away with what he's done. And…" His smile widened. "…I know you're not finished with him yet…"

Craig's red eyes seemed to droop at the end of the creature's sentence. He was suddenly filled with rage and the intent to kill, namely a certain brunette. No more words were exchanged between the two as Craig dressed and dried his hair. He brushed past the Slender Man in a trance to his room, and drew out an old baseball bat from his closet. Stripe was squeaking inquisitively, and when Craig turned to look at it with his glowing red eyes, it fell silent and hid in a pile of shredded newspaper in the corner of its cage. Craig stared down at the bat momentarily before turning back to look up at the faceless man. He nodded at the black-haired boy and vanished, leaving him alone with his malicious intentions. A cruel grin spread across his face as he dragged the bat behind him and descended the stairs, pulled on his hat and shoes, and left the safety of his house. He had some unfinished business to tend to.

* * *

><p><em>I dunno Stan, I don't feel very safe… - Parker<em>

_Then let us come get you, dude. We don't want you out there by yourself. – Stan _

_But what about you guys? – Parker _

_We'll be fine. Promise. – Stan _

_Well…I'll call you if anything happens. Okay? – Parker _

_Sounds good man. See you in a bit. – Stan _

The brunette set his phone aside and sighed; no matter how many times he told himself it's just his imagination, he still felt like eyes were watching him. None of his electronics were acting up though, so it couldn't have been the Slender Man. It couldn't have been Kenny, either, otherwise something would have been buzzing static. He shook the thoughts away and tried to relax by checking his email. Something from MTV, another thing from Hot Topic, a letter from his cousin Kendra, and a few reviews on his latest story for a fanfiction site. An excited smile broke out on his face as he read them, and entertained the idea on getting a jump-start on the next chapter. Just as he was about to start typing, he felt a chill. His eyes widened slightly, but when he turned there was nothing there. Maybe he was just cold. After all, wearing nothing but a long shirt at night in the dead middle of winter doesn't exactly keep a person the warmest.

"Maybe I should put on some pants," he thought aloud. Another sigh and he was up, dragging his feet until he reached the closet. He pulled down some fuzzy camouflage pants and threw them on, smiling when the soft material encased his bare legs. He glanced down at the waistband hanging slightly off his hip and frowned; his mark looked bad. Probably from when Kenny went missing…he may have caused more pain than he intended that night. Nobody knew except for him. His phone blared from the computer desk and made him jump. Checking to see who it was, it came up as an unknown number. Parker raised an eyebrow and answered it.

"Hello?"

Breathing could be heard on the other end of the line. It sounded like someone had been running track.

"Um, who is this?"

"I think you know…"

The brunette shuddered violently but faked a laugh to come off as unafraid. "Oh ha ha. No really, who is this?"

The person laughed manically and hung up. Parker could feel his heart beating like mad inside his chest. 'No way…' He ran to the window and saw shuffling in the trees down below. Not good. He quickly packed some clothes and ran downstairs to deadbolt the door. Whoever this was, they wouldn't be getting in; he'd make sure of that. Manic laughter echoed outside his house, seemingly encircling the home. The brunette peeked out the windows and closed the blinds in a hurry, not wanting his unwelcome guest to see him home. Everything was closed and locked, and Parker almost felt a little better. That is, until he remembered the back door in the kitchen was unlocked.

'Fuck…!'

He could hear the handle moving back there, twisting terrifyingly slowly until it was kicked open with the force of an angry rhino. Panic flooded through his veins as he ran up the stairs and locked himself in the bathroom. He quickly rearranged the items under the sink and crawled in, quietly shutting the doors behind him. Minutes ticked by like centuries as he held his breath and listened; he could hear steps slowly stomping up the stairs, looking for him like the serial killers in the movies do. They stopped at the door and knocked; really, like Parker was going to answer if his could-be killer knocked politely? He rolled his eyes in the dark despite his terror and held his breath. The door was kicked in much like the back door in the kitchen, and heavy breathing could be heard in the small room. The brunette listened hard, resisting the urge to put his ear to the door. He could hear the shower curtain being roughly pulled back and an annoyed growl following it. The footsteps trailed to the window by the toilet and stopped briefly before a sigh could be heard, and then the footsteps left for the hallway. Parker didn't know how long after he stayed hidden under the sink; it could very well have been minutes, hours, days for all he knew. Only when he was sure the intruder was gone did he poke his head out to look. He was alone in the bathroom. Good. He crawled out as quietly as he could manage and peered out into the hall: nobody there. Very good.

'I just have to call Stan and – wait, what happened to my phone?' The brunette looked up and it dawned on him: he left his phone in his room! 'Oh, fuck me!' A quick study of the hall and he made a dash for his room, praying that the unknown assailant wasn't there. His door flew open and to his surprise, it was empty. Nothing had been touched, almost like the stranger in the house hadn't even noticed his bedroom. His bedroom door closed with hardly a sound and he tiptoed to his bag of clothes. Really he only needed one outfit until tomorrow. He looked back to his computer desk and picked up his phone, staring up with wide eyes at his door while he dialed 911. When he pressed the phone to his ear and waited, he could hear soft laughter. Not a good sign, not in the least. "Why the hell is this taking so long?" He pulled his phone away and fell into a petrified silence: his phone was dead. "I thought this thing was charged!" Nervously he flipped the phone over and noticed that the battery compartment had been tampered with. He checked and, to his horror, his fears were reality; the intruder took his phone's battery. It was useless now. And that meant –

"There's no calling for help now…" Parker felt a sudden blow to the back of his head. He dropped and hit the floor, groaning in pain. "Did you really think I didn't know what you were planning?"

"Ughh…" The brunette staggered to his feet, only be feel the force of a blunt object strike him again. He could feel his head bleeding and decided to stay down, lest he feel something much worse than just a strike. Rolling onto his side, he looked up with watery eyes to see a savagely-smiling Craig staring down at him, eyes glowing red and blood spattered on his cheek. 'Of course,' Parker thought bitterly, wincing at the throbbing pain in the back of his head. The crazy teen laughed and hit him with the bat again, aiming lower toward his ribs. A sickening crack echoed through the room as Parker screamed in pain; Craig must have broken a few ribs that time. He tried to crawl away, but felt the heel of the insane boy's shoes dig into spine painfully. The bat came down again and bashed him in the arm, sending unimaginable pain shooting through his body like lightning. He screamed again, begging Craig to stop, but Craig didn't listen; instead he giggled chaotically and reached down to grab a fistful of his hair, and yanked his head back painfully. The dark-haired boy sat on his back and dug out a razorblade from his jacket pocket, and held it up in Parker's field of vision.

"If you so much as make another sound," he warned, grinning crazily, "I won't hesitate to slit your throat. Got it?"

Parker held his tongue out of fear. If Craig weren't holding a sharp object to his throat, he would have struggled and screamed for help, or tried to turn the tables and fight him back; trying anything now was too risky. He wasn't ready to die just yet.

Craig hummed and leaned forward on the brunette's back, rubbing his body against Parker's. He snickered when he felt the other boy tremble under him and pressed his mouth to his ear. "I do hope you don't mind if I take my time with this," he whispered, pressing the blade's edge against the side of Parker's neck. The scared boy felt it bite into his skin painfully, producing a growing dot of blood. He could feel it grow heavier and drip down his neck, and felt Craig's fingers press against it eagerly. He took them away and licked off the blood and gripped the blade tighter in his hand, digging it into his own skin. Parker watched, disturbed, as his blood fell into the carpet in a steady drip-drip-drip, and when Craig practically moaned above him, Parker felt hot tears spring to his eyes and run down his cheeks. Craig had lost whatever shred of sanity he had left in the hospital, and was probably going to rape him before slicing his throat open with the razorblade digging into his hand. Silent sobs shook the brunette's body as he could only wait for what he was sure to be his imminent death.

'Sleep.'

Parker's eyes slipped shut just as he heard Craig scream. Whatever happened next, he couldn't stop. He just wished he could say goodbye to his friends before he died.

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><p>Good god, my brain is full of derp. I promise guys, I will get back to regular updates soon! Just bear with me okay?<p> 


	31. Chapter 31

Yes, Parker is not really dead! I should have mentioned that last chapter, but...well, it would have left so much out and that's no way to end a story, am I right? :) So, here's this. Enjoy!

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><p>The brunette awoke some time later; he had no idea how long he'd been out, or what caused him to slip into sleep in the first place. All he knew is that he heard a familiar voice, and after that he was out like a light. He groaned and looked around. Since when were his walls so white? Wait a minute…this wasn't his house. He sat upright and immediately let out a pained grunt and lay back down; yep, Craig had done some kind of serious damage to his ribs. Fucking Craig. A figure caught his eye just out of his field of vision and he tried to run, but his body hurt too badly to even move.<p>

"Okay…Parker, is it?" A doctor stood before him, smiling and looking over some papers on a clipboard. "Looks like you took quite a beating. What happened?"

Parker didn't meet his eyes. "None of your business."

"I have to know what happened, sport. Otherwise, how else will we be able to fix you up? I'm your friend here; you can trust me."

'Pretentious fuck…' The injured teen stole a look at him and glared; nothing special, just another man in white. He didn't plan to tell this guy anything. "Where's my dad?"

The doctor smiled. Parker could tell it was forced. "He's still at work, I'm afraid. But don't you worry," he said, reaching down to ruffle the boy's hair. Oh, the hate in Parker's eyes! "He said as soon as he gets off work, he'll rush right over. You have nothing to worry about."

He slapped the man's hand away angrily. "Who brought me here?"

"Oh, a couple of boys out in the lobby. They must be some good friends to bring you here on such short notice. And without even getting a call about what happened! You, my boy, are one lucky little fellow!"

Parker wrinkled his nose in disgust at the smiling man; he absolutely loathed when adults talked to him like that, especially people in hospitals. He wasn't a little kid anymore, and he didn't appreciate being talked to or treated like one. It made him want to break fingers. "It's not exactly like I could call them, you know," he spat. "This psychopath took the phone battery out and tried to kill me."

The doctor hastily jotted something down and nodded. "I see. I'm terribly sorry to hear that son. Now tell me: where did he hit you?"

"Who said he hit me?"

"I assume he must have hit you for you to suffer that bump on your head and the bruising around your ribs and arm."

Parker's eye twitched in anger. "He. Didn't. Hit. Me. He used a fucking baseball bat."

The older man's eyes widened slightly as he took note. "And that little nick on your neck? Did he cut you?"

Dammit, he was in too deep now. Fucking doctors. Fucking dizziness. He felt faint. "He had a razorblade," he mumbled, lying back down. His eyes were slipping closed; he was so tired. "He pushed a corner into my neck and…I don't really remember much after that…"

"Mhm, mhm." The older man scribbled down more notes and told Parker to wait there, and walked off down the hall to get a nurse. Parker looked up and saw his chance. Carefully, he lifted himself up and hopped off the weird paper-covered chair, and hobbled over to the door. The coast was clear. He winced at the sudden kick of pain in his ribs, but ran as fast as he could down the hall, hoping it would lead him to an elevator or the front desk. He came to a turn and peered around the corner: safe. He scurried fast and finally spotted an elevator, and mashed the button impatiently. Seconds felt like hours as he waited, and finally the doors opened. Parker grinned a little despite the situation; he was screaming inside from the pain in his body, but the elevator was empty, ensuring nobody would stop him. He got in and pushed the button for the first floor, and leaned against the wall as the doors closed. When the elevator starting doing down, he jumped; he'd always hated that sudden jerk when the machine dropped.

'Ugh, my ribs…' Curiosity struck him and he glanced down at his stomach. He had to look. Slowly lifting up his shirt, he gasped when he saw the condition his ribs were in: practically black from the bat, and the ring around the bruise was a sickening yellow-green looking color. He could see a few ribs through the skin, looking beaten in and broken as compared the ribs on his other side. A scowl crossed his face as he pulled his shirt back down; next time, he'd take a sledgehammer to Craig's leg and see how he liked it. Asshole. The elevator jerked to a stop, making Parker jump again, and the doors opened. Nobody in sight, good. He made a wild run down the hall toward the lobby, grinning victoriously all the way. He could see his friends! They were all looking at him with a worried and confused face.

"Parker!" Stan got up and met him halfway, and hugged him around his neck. "Dude, what are you doing? I thought they were supposed to fix you?"

"Not now, I have to know what happened." The brunette pulled back and looked Stan in the eyes, frowning. "Did you guys bring me here?"

Cartman got up and walked up to the broken boy, nodding. "Yeah, we saw you face-down on your bedroom floor. We couldn't just leave you like that."

"And…Craig?"

Stan and Cartman exchanged an uneasy look. Parker knew something was wrong. "Uh, well…we found him by the window. He looked pretty bad…"

"Bad how?"

Cartman rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably and looked away. "He's kinda missing an arm now."

Parker paled, eyes went wide. "What?"

"Yeah. We didn't know what happened, so we brought you both here. Craig's resting I think, and they still need to work on you." Stan rested his forehead against the shocked brunette's and frowned, staring into his eyes. "What happened in your room today with Craig?"

"Ah, there you are!" Parker felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up nervously; looks like his doctor found him. He looked down at the brunette with an upset face and sighed. "I know you're scared, sport, but it's to help the pain go away. You don't want broken ribs or a broken arm, do you?" He excused himself and the bruised teen, telling the noirette and the fat teen to head home. The two took one last glance at Parker and smiled reassuringly, giving him a thumbs-up before heading out the door with a wave. Parker could only frown as he was led to the operating room.

* * *

><p>"Hey, kiddo. Good to see you."<p>

Parker opened his eyes tiredly and saw his father looking down at him, smiling sadly with tears in his eyes. He must have heard what happened from the doctor. The brunette smiled a little and nodded, his voice having failed him from how much he was screaming earlier in the OR. His dad pulled up a chair and sat down, and held Parker's hand with his own trembling ones. Tears were running free now, but he still smiled. Parker hated seeing his dad cry; it meant he'd start crying too if he didn't look away. He didn't care right now.

"Why didn't you tell me…?" The blonde man exhaled shakily, wiping away his tears with his free hand.

The brunette replied groggily and as clearly as possible, "S-Sorry Dad…"

He let out a sob, body shaking from how badly his daughter's voice sounded. "It's not your fault, Hun. Don't…d-don't worry about it…" He bit his lip and looked up toward the ceiling to avoid crying anymore; it wasn't working too well. "As soon as you're all fixed and ready to come home, we'll start packing okay?"

"P-Packing…?"

"Yes, to move again. Would you like that?"

Parker shook her head, tears welling up and slipping out of her own eyes. When her dad gave her a puzzled look, she said, "I want to stay here…I-I don't want to lose my friends again, Daddy…"

Her dad choked back another body-racking sob and squeezed his eyes shut. Damn, she knew just how to get him where it hurts! After a few moments, he looked back down at the broken-looking brunette and nodded, trying to smile to tell her okay. He'd keep her in South Park if it meant making her happy. The idea scared him to death inside, seeing as how she'd ended up in this condition in her own bedroom, but he would do anything to make his baby happy. He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead and promised to stay in this town just for her. She smiled and thanked him, kissed him on the cheek, and slipped back into sleep.

Unbeknownst to both of them, a tall faceless man was staring in through the window, smiling wickedly. 'It's a bit late for that, little Parker~' He let out a small chuckle before vanishing on the spot.

* * *

><p>Weeks turned to months, and Parker was still in the hospital, much to his irritation. His ribs were almost done healing and his neck had been bandaged where Craig had dug the razorblade into it. His arm was in a cast, but otherwise was doing just fine. His friends came in every day to visit him and see how he was doing, as did his father, and he was thankful for that. Eventually it was time to go home, and Parker couldn't have been happier. Of course he had to keep the cast on his arm, but that didn't matter in the least; he'd keep that thing on his arm forever if it meant being able to leave the hospital any earlier. Stan, Cartman, and his dad were there, and the three of them walked back to Parker's home and practically waited on him hand-and-foot, all getting a strict "Don't" from the brunette. He was free now; he wanted to be able to do things for himself.<p>

"Hey Stan?"

"Yeah dude?"

"I appreciate you staying here with me and all, and I don't mean to sound like a dick, but…why?"

The raven-haired teen looked up at him in confusion. "Why what?"

"Why are you staying with me so much?" Parker sat in his computer chair while Stan lay on his bed, doing homework. "It's not that I don't appreciate it; I really do, you know? It's just…I dunno, don't you think I'd be okay by myself?"

Stan smiled, conflicted, and shrugged. "Your dad asked me to stay and watch you. You know, just to make sure Craig doesn't come back."

Parker sighed. He should have known his dad was behind this one. "Dude, I'll be fine. They made sure Craig won't get out this time, he has his own special room now." He got to his feet and went to the closet for pajamas, turning to look at Stan. "Bars on the window, a lock on the outside of the door…that kid's not getting out for a while. Plus, I think I heard a nurse say they put him in a straightjacket."

"You can never be too sure," Stan replied, shrugging.

The brunette rolled his eyes and stared down a long shirt. He thought for a moment, and was met with a tough choice: either wear something to bed and not scare Stan, or go without clothes and get found out. Either way, he realized with shock, Stan would see his itty-bitty ti-UH, CHEST! Yeah, chest, that's what he was about to think. He blushed furiously and turned to Stan, almost wishing he could scream at him to get out. "Uh…Stan?"

The teen in question looked up. "What's up?"

"I, um…I need help with my clothes…"

The other boy raised an eyebrow at the helplessness in his friend's tone, but otherwise got up and was at Parker's side in a matter of seconds. He smiled at the blushing boy and told him to relax. Parker kicked himself mentally: he just had to wear skinny jeans and a plaid button-up today. Stan worked quietly, fumbling with the buttons on the nervous boy's pants and finally unzipping them. The brunette wanted to die. He pulled Parker's jeans down his legs, being careful not to accidentally yank off his boxers, and motioned for him to lift his feet to pull the pants completely off. The brunette was left in his underwear, blushing cherry-red and almost tearing up, and pleaded with Stan to let him take off his own shirt. The noirette chuckled and calmed his friend as best as he could, and carefully began unbuttoning the shirt from the bottom going up. Both were silent as Stan worked his way up, button after button slowly being undone, until finally he was pulling it off the brunette's shoulders. Stan's eyes widened when he saw the bra beneath, and looked up to meet Parker's eyes inquisitively.

"You're a girl?"

Parker could only nod, embarrassed tears threatening to fall.

Stan blinked and smiled warmly, reaching out to wipe her tears away. "Hey, don't get all upset about it. I don't see you any differently, Parker; you're still one of the guys to me."

"R-Really?"

"Really." The raven-haired boy chuckled and patted his friend's head. "Honestly, you girls get worked up over the littlest things." He looked back into the closet and asked what Parker needed, only to be met with a shaky, "N-Nothing." He turned back to look at her and realized she wasn't wearing anything else to bed. He couldn't help the slight blush spreading across his face. Quickly shaking it off, he headed back over to the bed and resumed working on his math homework, acting almost as if nothing weird had just happened. Parker was relieved, but still quite embarrassed about the whole thing. A loud blare of "I'm Sexy and I Know It" by LMFAO resonated through the room, and Stan picked it up when Parker sent him a confused look. Cartman was calling.

"Hey," Stan answered casually, finishing the last problem of math.

"Are you still at Parker's?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I'm coming over too."

"Alright, see you soon." He hung up and looked with a smile to the half-naked girl by the closet. "Surprise, more company! Cartman will be here in a few minutes."

* * *

><p>Oh boy, this should be interesting! Alright, since Stan knows and Cartman is joining them (and Parker can't put her clothes on by herself lol) I will be referring to Parker as a girl from now on. Yes, the confusion finally ends! So when there is a 'she' mentioned, it will be Parker. :D Don't forget to leave a little review, everyone; they heal Parker's broken arm faster. Easier to beat up Stan for what happens next! XD<p> 


	32. Chapter 32

Stan answered the front door when Cartman knocked. He let the fat teen in with a smile and led him up the stairs to Parker's room. When they saw Parker huddled tight under a mountain of blankets, Stan laughed; Cartman was lost. He asked the black-haired boy what was so funny, and Parker shot him the most venomous glare, so he simply shook his head and sat at the computer's chair. The fat boy grumbled but took a seat on the floor beside the buried teen, looking up at him suspiciously.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked, raising a brow. "You getting sick or something?"

"Nah, it's something completely different," Stan said a little loudly, smirking.

Parker flipped him the middle finger. "I swear to god Stan, I will beat you…"

Stan laughed and held out his arms, feeling cocky. "Come at me, bro!"

"Alright, what the hell is going on?" Cartman demanded angrily.

"NOTHING!"

"Dude, Parker, just come out and tell him. It'll be a hell of a lot easier than keeping up the act."

The brunette shot him a mean look and sighed. "Fine…" He slowly – reluctantly, actually, - lowered the blanket cave from around himself and met Cartman's gape with a blushing face. "Surprise, Cartman…I'm a girl."

The chubby boy looked at Parker, then back to Stan, then back up at the half-naked girl hiding beneath the blankets. He looked like he was losing his mind. Suddenly nothing made sense to him anymore. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold the fuck up! You're telling me that this whole time we've known you, you've been a GIRL!"

Parker nodded. "Think back, dude; why else would my dad have flipped a nut when y'all followed me home that one day? And how do you explain the transformation when I wore that dress to the carnival? And why would I always hide in the toilet stalls in gym to change?"

Cartman's mouth hung open in disbelief. He wanted to scream and holler, but no sound came out. Stan started cracking up and nearly fell out of his chair, while Parker pulled the blankets back up around herself. If this wasn't the most embarrassing thing ever.

"Okay, okay. So, if you've been a girl this whole time…then that means…?"

Parker gave him a strange look. "What?"

Stan thought he knew where Cartman was going with this one. "Kenny knew, didn't he?"

"Actually," Parker replied, "I don't think he did. Kyle found out after you guys went to the hospital - "

"He did?" Stan asked, surprised.

"How?" Cartman blurted.

Her cheeks turned pink again in an instant as she looked away, embarrassed. "Uh, he was checking out my stomach and lifted my shirt too high…and well, ta-da."

Cartman's eyes were a little wide, but otherwise he looked completely fine. Stan, on the other hand, looked a cross between upset and a little angry. "Why didn't he say anything?"

"I made him promise not to," the brunette admitted. She looked to Stan with apologetic eyes. Stan stared her down for a moment before shaking it off and giving her a tiny smile.

The three sat in their friend's room, awkward silence settling between them, when they jumped. What was that sound? Parker silently crawled out from under her blanket fort and scurried to the door. She definitely heard something, and it was coming from the living room: she hoped it was just her dad again. Turning back to the others, she raised a finger to her lips and waved them over to follow her out into the hallway. They nodded and did as they were told, and together the three of them carefully crept down the stairs. Parker looked, but found nothing. Cartman gently pushed past her, giving her a smile, and whispered that he'd go check the rest of the floor. That left herself and Stan waiting on the stairs. He blinked and patted her head, telling her that Cartman could probably handle whatever it was. They waited, but heard no sound. Was he alright? Finally the fat boy came back and shook his head, shrugging.

"Well?"

"Nothing down here, dude – I mean, girl."

Parker made a face and shook her head. "Dude sounds better," she said. "I don't want you guys to treat me any differently than you used to, okay?"

Stan nodded. He glanced at Cartman and saw him nodding as well, albeit a little confused. Another sound caught their attention: it was the brunette's door slamming shut with a force. They all paled and hurried back to the bedroom, but found the door stuck. Stan held his ear to the door and listened; so far, nothing. Maybe it was the wind? Oh wait…he just realized none of the windows were open. When he heard a faint, menacing snicker, his eyes went wide and he paled.

"What is it?" Cartman asked, starting to shake.

Stan turned and looked at Parker, and instantly she knew. She took a deep breath and motioned for her friends to move before running full-force at the door. It flew open when she crashed, and inside her room she saw him, sitting on her bed. The blonde smirked at her and made a heart shape with his long, pale fingers.

"G-Guys…! Look!" she whimpered, turning to catch their eyes.

Cartman and Stan peered in. Then they turned to the frightened girl, confused.

"What are we looking at, exactly?"

Parker furrowed her brows. "Kenny! He's back, don't you see…huh?" She looked back at the spot where Kenny had sat moments before, only to find it empty. There weren't even any dents in the covers where his butt was. It was like nobody had been there since they all went to check the living room. Her jaw dropped and she rushed over to the spot, getting a closer look. Her hand cut through the air where the blonde's body was, confirming that there was nothing there. Her head filled with so many questions, and unfortunately for her, she had absolutely no idea where to start looking for answers. The boys sensed her fear and confusion, so they both came up behind her and patted her shoulders. She turned back to them with a puzzled and scared look, and they both just smiled.

"You're probably just really tired," Stan murmured kindly.

Cartman nodded. "Get some rest, okay? We'll stay here in case anything happens."

The brunette shook her head furiously, swearing up and down that she saw him sitting there and that they would be in grave danger if they stayed. They shook away her warnings and helped her into bed, pulling the covers tight around her. A quick "good-night" and they turned out the lights, and made themselves comfortable on the floor. As much as Parker didn't want to, she reluctantly turned over on her side and closed her eyes. She really hoped she was just seeing things, for everyone's sake.

* * *

><p>Hours passed and the brunette was awoken from her slumber. She stirred tiredly, eyes still closed, and reached out to hug her extra pillows close. Her arm wrapped around something soft and she pulled it closer, sighing in content. She snuggled close to it, feeling its coolness caress her cheek, and lay in sleepy silence, willing herself to fall back asleep. She was nearly out again when she heard the softest buzzing coming from her phone. Hoping it was just sleep still clouding her mind, she slowly opened her eyes and came face-to-face with what she thought it was: just her pillow. A relieved smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she cuddled it closer. That didn't explain her phone, however. Groggily she turned over and grabbed her phone from the bedside table and looked at it. Someone had set it to vibrate, and that was the noise it was making on the table. Another stupid wrong number calling in the middle of the night. The phone was replaced and the tired brunette curled back up, thankful there were no threats tonight.<p>

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><p>Stan and Cartman were down in the living room the next morning before Parker woke up. They'd found her still asleep with the blankets tangled around her limbs, and a – let's just call it 'interesting' – view of her chest sticking out from under the blankets, rising and falling to the rhythm of her breathing. Everything was still covered, of course, but the way her upper body was trying to twist onto its side gave her a bit of exposed cleavage. The two boys looked at each other, blushing slightly, and retreated to the safety of a different room before she could wake up and beat them senseless.<p>

The sleepy girl opened her eyes, hissing in annoyance at the bright sunlight flooding through the window. This was one of the most peaceful ways to wake up, but also one of the most annoying; really, who actually LIKES bright light burning their retinas through their eyelids? She sat up and rubbed her eyes with a yawn. Noticing her friends' absence, she looked down and realized why: her chest was just hanging out, saying a friendly hello to everyone and their grandmother. Embarrassed, she quickly covered herself and made for the closet for some clothes.

"Good morning, princess~" Chills immediately ran down her spine. He was back. She knew he was back this time. Slowly she turned her head and saw him lying on the bed on his stomach: he was smiling at her, tongue snaking out and licking at his upper lip. "Don't you look cute this morning…"

Her eyes were moist with terrified tears. "Go away…!"

"Hn, and why exactly would I do that?"

"B-Because…Because I said so!"

Kenny's smile widened, eyes narrowing. "Bossy today, huh? I like it." He got up off the bed and sauntered up to the scared girl, chuckling when she had nowhere else to go but into the closet. "I bet you're wondering about the night with Craig, yes?"

Parker nodded, curious and scared for her life. "How did you know…?"

"I was there," the blonde replied. He grabbed her hand and brought it up to his lips, and kissed it softly. Despite the fact that he'd turned into a second Slender Man, he was being quite polite and gentleman-like…for now, anyway. He met her eyes and chuckled. "You heard that he lost an arm. That was from me; I took it from him."

"W-Why?"

"He hurt you, Parker." The orb in Kenny's eye flashed red before returning to normal. "I couldn't let him get away with that…so I ripped his arm off after I saw him break yours with the bat."

The brunette's voice was extremely shaky as she stared at him with watering eyes and asked, "What did you do with it…?"

Kenny merely smirked and walked back to the bed. He reached underneath and pulled out a box. It was wrapped in simple pink paper, and topped with a red bow. He patted the spot beside him, and when the scared girl sat next to him, he gently set it in her lap. She stared at him in horror, but only got the same unwavering smirk as he instructed her to open it. She did as she was told, fearful of what might happen if she didn't, and covered her mouth in revulsion; sitting in that seemingly innocent box was Craig's missing arm, blue-tinged and stiff, and covered in old blood.

"Do you like it?" the black-eyed blonde asked.

Parker's face turned green. She screwed her eyes shut and shoved the box back into Kenny's lap before running like hell to the bathroom, and dropping down to make friends with the toilet again. Her body jerked with every heave, and her cries were muffled out by the contents of her stomach. She could hear footsteps running up and stopping in the doorway, but she didn't dare look up; she could feel another wave of vomit getting ready to come up. Her head nearly hit the porcelain with her force, and when she finally emptied her stomach, she was torn between screaming and sobbing. Her friends were scared for her, but helped her nonetheless.

"What? What happened?"

Parker leaned back, staring off into space in absolute horror. "K-Kenny…! He did it! He…C-Craig…arm…!"

Cartman gave Stan a scared look and rubbed the girl's back in an attempt to sooth her. "Calm down, Parker; you're not making any sense! Now, what's this about Kenny and Craig's arm?"

The brunette pulled herself shakily to her feet and pulled both boys to her room by their wrists. When they got in, everything was the same; no box, no Kenny, nothing. The two looked at Parker worriedly before she started babbling about the missing arm and running over to her bed. Indeed, the box was gone, as was the arm housed within it. Remembering earlier, Parker dropped to her knees and peeked under the bed: no way. She reached back with her good arm and pulled on the bow, dragging the gift out into the open. Stan watched curiously as she picked it up, and nearly knocked Cartman over trying to back up when the crying girl handed them the box with a broken-minded look on her face. The boys exchanged a terrified look before slowly, carefully opening it. When the lid was opened, the two gagged and dropped the whole thing. Craig's bloody severed arm fell out and landed on the floor with a heavy thump, sending Parker back to the bathroom in a blur. Stan and Cartman looked at each other in pure horror. This was definitely the work of some kind of monster. They knew what had to be done.


	33. Chapter 33

This one was pretty interesting to write. Changes things up a bit :) Enjoy everyone!

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><p>Two weeks passed since that day, and the trio was still extremely disturbed by what had happened. The night of the incident with the…<em>present…<em>they all agreed never to speak of it again, and buried Craig's lost limb out by Stark's Pond. School went surprisingly well, especially for Parker being in the hospital and victimized for her friends' deaths. Stan and Cartman were always by her side now, watching over her and beating down everyone who dared look at her the wrong way. They helped her with homework and caught her up on everything for school, happy that she was getting back on track despite all the crap that's been happening. Summer came in a flash, and along with it, the promise of heat and short skirts on the girls in class. For Parker, however, it meant getting the cast off her arm. Kids had been asking her all kinds of questions about it, and each reply was either "Accident" or "I don't want to talk about it". One mean-hearted student in particular tried to spread a rumor that the brunette broke it herself for attention, and Parker literally had to hold the fat teen and the noirette back from punching the kid's lights out.

It was another dull Friday afternoon, and the three teens were crashing at Stan's house again. Parker was rubbing her arm with a smile, excited that the cast was finally off. Her arm was healed and back to normal, but still a little sensitive when it came to things touching it. Cartman was watching the Terrance and Phillip Show on the floor, and Stan was doodling in his notebook. The brunette looked up when she heard someone coming downstairs, and momentarily locked eyes with Shelly. She smiled and waved at Stan's sister, only to be met with a bright pink blush and a harsh look. She trudged into the kitchen, then back upstairs moments later with a fleeting glance back at Parker. The brunette frowned and turned to Stan.

"I think your sister hates me."

Stan and Cartman both laughed, causing her to frown in confusion. "No way, did you see her face light up?" Stan asked, grinning slyly over his notebook. "She totally likes you."

Parker rolled her eyes and scoffed at the idea. "I don't think so, man. She probably knows I'm a girl anyway, so unless she's, you know…"

The fat teen looked up at her in surprise. "That would be…AWESOME!"

The black-haired teen scowled with bright red cheeks. "Dude! That's my sister, you sick fuck!"

Parker laughed and nudged Stan's leg with her foot from across the couch. "Calm down, man; he's joking. And anyway, I don't like her like that. She's really pretty and all, but she's just not The One."

Cartman looked to Stan and smirked. "Poor Shelly's gonna be so heartbroken."

"Shut up, fatass!" Stan hollered, whipping his notebook at him. Cartman scowled and threw it back at his head with a pissy "I was fucking joking, asshole!" before turning back to the television. Parker cracked a grin and rolled her eyes at her friends' antics. They could act like they hated each other one minute, and be laughing together the next. This is why she liked hanging out with guys better than girls. She looked up and caught sight of a shadowy figure in the window, and paled slightly. There was a slight static buzz from her phone in her back pocket. He smiled in at her and traced a heart shape on the window with a long, pale finger. This had to end…and tonight was the night it would finally happen.

"Hey, Parker?" She snapped out of her thoughts and smiled at Stan. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just thinking about the beach," she lied, smiling sweetly. The boys eyed her a moment before grinning again and talking about summer plans. The brunette inwardly sighed and looked back toward the window: he was gone. Whatever happened, she had to make sure Cartman and Stan didn't find out. She didn't want them getting any more involved than they already were. After all, she'd already lost Tweek and Kyle, and Kenny especially; it would be a cold day in hell when she lost the last two friends she had. A little smile crossed her lips as she focused back on her two friends, laughing and throwing in some ideas of her own for summertime fun.

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><p>The brunette lay on the floor wide awake, staring up at the ceiling silently and listening to the soothing sounds of the boys' snoring. She closed her eyes and wished desperately to join them, but she had work to do. Sleep would have to wait. Propping herself up, she squinted through the darkness to find them both out cold: Stan was curled up on the couch, snoring softly and deeply asleep, and Cartman was sprawled out a few feet away from herself, hugging his stuffed frog close and drooling slightly. A quiet chuckle escaped her before she pulled her blanket back and rose to her feet. Carefully she reached under the couch and pulled out her dad's gun, slipped on her glasses and shoes, and snuck out the door into the night. Her phone was hissing in her bra, alerting her that Kenny or Slender Man was near. A frightened tear slipped down her cheek, but she hastily wiped it away, resolving to be brave. She hiked on, not sure of where she was going and frankly not all that concerned.<p>

'This ends tonight,' she thought, toting the gun in her hands. She looked down at it and frowned; she knew this wouldn't end well, and almost wished she could have told everyone goodbye before she left. Looking back up, she glared and kept going. 'No more. I'm done with this. I'm done with them!'

A sinister snicker hit her eardrums startlingly loud, and she whirled around with her gun raised. Slender Man smirked and vanished before her eyes just as she took aim. She cursed under her breath and dashed away toward town; surely he wouldn't chase her into a busy area, right? When she reached the main road, an angry frown formed on her face: there were no people out. Back in her old city, it could be two in the morning and the streets would still be littered with restless people. She looked around and carefully made her way down to the police station: she knew they had to be awake, at least. Just as she was nearing the steps, a flash of blonde caught her eyes. Kenny peered at her from around the corner of the building, a mischievous grin on his pale face. Chills shot up her spine.

"You're out a bit late," he said, eyes narrowing. He stepped out and walked slowly up to her, making her feel tiny; he'd grown much taller, looking to be at least six and a half feet. Parker glared up at him, hoping her face will distract him from her buckling knees. The blonde merely chuckled. "What are you planning to do with that gun, Parker?"

The brunette held her glare and gripped the weapon tighter. "End it all…"

Kenny's blackened eyes stared into her chocolate brown ones, and he reached down to touch the gun in her hands. "Give me that," he murmured, "before you hurt yourself."

Parker shook her head. When the slender blonde's fingers curled around it, she pulled it away from him and ran. She could hear him calling for her, but she refused to slow down; if he got his hands on it, he would surely kill her. Her neon shoes hit the ground loudly, sending an echo through the air. In her peripheral vision, she could see Kenny beside her, seemingly floating on air. Goose bumps ran rampant across her skin, and she picked up the pace to escape the blonde's grasp. Her feet led her to the edge of town, and everything beyond that point was barren and uninviting: nothing but trees and a single road leading to the next town over. She stopped and stared ahead, pondering the idea to follow the road wherever it led in hopes of getting away from Slender Man and "Slender Kenny". A low chuckle behind her and a cold hand on her shoulder made her nearly drop the gun in fear. When she looked over her shoulder, Kenny was smiling at her. It looked almost friendly, but still so evil.

"Please," he whispered. He touched the weapon again, eyes never leaving Parker's. She flinched and raised her weapon, aiming right between Kenny's eyes, and fired a shot. The boom was loud and hurt Parker's ears, but she stared awestruck when the pale blonde still stood. Blackened blood-like liquid sprayed from the wound and for a moment the brunette thought her nightmare was finally over; when Kenny's head fully healed itself and pushed the bullet back out, her heart dropped in dread. The blonde frowned and reached out to touch the gun again, and managed to pry it from the stunned brunette's hands. Once he'd gotten it away from her, he set it down. Then he did the unexpected: he held out his arms as if waiting for a hug. He smiled slightly wider and murmured, "I love you Parker…"

She stared at him suspiciously, not moving. "Why then?" she asked rather suddenly. Kenny looked taken aback. Her eyes felt moist with growing tears and she narrowed her eyes at him. "Why have you been torturing me like this? Killing my friends, leaving me fucked up 'gifts', trying to rape me in my own bed…" Tears fell freely, streaking down her cheeks. "Why, Kenny…?"

The pale blonde frowned wider, eyes shifting down toward the ground. "I didn't know how else to show you my love…" he admitted after what felt like an eternity. His hair covered his eyes, but Parker could feel the genuine sadness coming off him. A soft drip sound made the brunette realize that Kenny was crying. He looked back up at her moments later, and as she thought he was indeed crying. Clear tears rolled down his colorless cheeks as he stared at her, frown replacing the usually frightening smile. In spite of her fear, Parker found herself taking a cautious step forward towards him, and then another; in a matter of seconds she was easily within fingers' reach, staring up into the face of the blonde monster. His tears kept falling, landing on the girl's face. He carefully wiped them away from her face, a tiny apologetic smile finding its way tugging at his lips. Almost inaudibly he whispered, "Parker…I'm sorry…I-I'm so sorry…"

Parker's heart felt like it was broken at her once-friend's words. She reached up and touched his long fingers gently, hoping the physical touch would calm him a little. He took notice and smiled slightly wider, brushing his fingers against her cheek again. Parker couldn't find the words to say, so she just looked at him and held onto his finger. Kenny took his hand away from her face and tried holding his arms out again, which the brunette quickly threw herself into. She clutched him tight and felt his long thin arms wrap around her and hold her close, and without warning she found herself shaking and holding back a sob. Kenny rubbed her back comfortingly and gently kissed the top of her head.

"Do you love me back?"

The brunette hesitated, somewhat startled by the question. She thought back to the times before Kenny became this monster: he was always sweet and caring, and never did anything to hurt her. Looking up at him now through watery eyes, she could still see the Kenny from back then, except now he showed his love in horrific, disturbing ways. Would she be able to handle Slender Kenny?

"What are you doing?"

The two looked up and saw Tall, Pale, and Faceless himself standing there with arms crossed and a snarl on his lips. He wasn't happy. "I didn't turn you for no reason, now do it already."

"Never," Kenny hissed. He held the confused and terrified girl closer as a silent vow to protect her. "You may have led to me, but I would never kill her!"

'Kill?' Parker looked up at Kenny in shock, then directed her gaze toward Slender Man. He smirked at her and reached a long slithering tentacle out towards her. It wrapped tight around her ankle and squeezed, making her cry out in pain and struggle to get it off her. The faceless man laughed and yanked her away from the blonde. Terror was too mild a word to describe how she felt inside. She felt her eyes begin to well up again, hot tears spilling from her wide eyes, and screamed. Another appendage wrapped itself around her mouth painfully, effectively gagging her and dulling out her screams and cries. Slender Man brushed her bangs out of her face and looked to the fuming Kenny.

"If you want her back," he said, smirking cynically, "then you'll have to come find her. And in the event you don't…well…" He wiped a tear away and chuckled darkly. "…I'll have to kill her myself."

"WHAT!"

"You have twenty-four hours to save her. Let the games begin~" Slender Man let out an ear-splitting cackle and vanished into thin air, taking with him one horrified-beyond-reality Parker. Kenny growled and screamed out of rage before disappearing as well.

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><p>Stan grumbled sleepily and rolled over, landing hard on his face onto the floor. "Fucking a," he mumbled. He picked himself up tiredly and yawned, stretching his arms high up over his head. A quick look to the clock revealed to him it was nearly three in the morning. He sighed and pulled himself up, figuring that since he was awake he might as well get something to drink. He made his way into the kitchen and turned on the light, hissing when the light burned his eyes and momentarily blinded him. A glass was pulled from a shelf and mountain dew filled it up, and Stan headed back into the living room with his drink. When he looked down and noticed Parker wasn't lying there, he looked toward the stairs.<p>

'She's probably in the bathroom,' he mused, grinning a little and taking a sip of pop. He waited and waited, but she didn't come back down. When ten minutes passed, he began to worry. "Dude, did she fall in or something?" he quietly joked, forcing a smile to ease the worry. Standing up, he set his glass on the table beside him and climbed the stairs in the dark. The light switch flicked on and the hall was instantly bathed in bright light. Stan walked down toward the bathroom and saw it was closed: okay, she really must have fallen in. Cracking a grin, he knocked on the door and opened it wide, ready to help pull her out. That's when his heart stopped; she wasn't there. In a panic he ran down to his bedroom and checked: she wasn't there either. He even checked Shelly's room and his parents' room: same thing, she was nowhere to be found. Worry and fear were tearing away at his insides as he ran back down the stairs and dropped by Cartman's side and began shaking him. The fat teen woke up and glared at the panicking boy.

"The fuck!" Cartman growled.

"Dude, Parker's gone!" Stan pointed to her sleeping spot and sure enough, Cartman saw, the brunette wasn't there. "We have to go find her!"

Cartman gave him a blank look. "Is she - "

"I checked everywhere, Cartman; she's not here! She's gone, outside to who knows where! We have to look for her and bring her back! What if she's in trouble? You know how badly she freaks out!"

"Right…" The fat boy sat up and nodded to the noirette. "Let's go, man." The two threw on their shoes and ran out the door. If Parker was in trouble, they had to save her, even if it meant they could get hurt in the process.

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><p>Woo, not exactly what y'all were expecting huh? Let's see what happens now...will Kenny be able to save Parker, or will she die by the hands of Slender Man? And what will Stan and Cartman do when they realize they can't find her? Oh, I'm such an evil author! Reviews are welcome :D<p> 


	34. Chapter 34

"Fuck, seriously? Where in the hell would she have gone to in the middle of the night anyway?" Cartman asked as they searched the streets for their missing friend. Stan scouted a little ways ahead, worry eating away at him inside like a parasite. They'd been out for at least twenty minutes by now, and they were both tired and scared; of the whole time they'd known Parker, not once did they find her suddenly gone during the night. It just wasn't like her.

"Don't ask me, I have no fuckin' idea," Stan replied, scowling.

The fat teen practically bit his tongue; damn, he'd never seen Stan this angry before. Deciding it was best not to piss him off any further, he held his tongue and continued to search. They searched high and low, went as far as the woods near the old fairground and as close as her house, tossing pebbles at her window and calling her phone numerous times. Nothing yielded results. Frustrated, they retraced their steps, eventually coming up to the police station to file a missing persons report. Just as Stan laid his hands on the door, ready to walk in and sink down to his last resort, Cartman stopped him with a loud gasp. The noirette looked back at him curiously, eyebrows raised.

"Dude!"

"What is it?"

Cartman waved Stan over, and the raven almost reluctantly left the station doors. He walked up beside the fat boy, looked down, and his eyes went wide as dinner plates; it was the gun Parker's dad owned, the very same one she brought with her when their friends started dying. It was lying in a pool of thick, blackened blood. His eyes starting tearing up as he stared to Cartman, lost for words. Cartman must have felt the same way, for shocked tears were quietly rolling down his round cheeks. The two stayed silent for the longest time, staring down at the gun and then back up at each other with crying eyes, and finally Cartman picked up the gun with shaking hands and he and Stan went into the police station, unsure of what really happened anymore. If she'd done the unthinkable, then what happened to the body…?

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><p>Deep in the woods, Slender Man smiled up at the captive girl in his grip. She looked around, terrified, and realized these weren't the woods she was used to seeing in town. These woods were dense and lightless, otherworldly and horrifying; the very stuff of her nightmares. Literally. Tears escaped from her brown eyes as the Slender Man laughed at her fear and moved her closer to him, and played with her messy short hair. He smiled his terrible, sharp-toothed grin and set her down beside him.<p>

"Welcome to your new home," he said, "and your final resting place. Please, do enjoy your stay while you can…after tonight, I'm afraid I'll have to kill you."

Parker glared up at the being and made a wild run, hoping to get as far away from him as possible. When she put some distance between herself and the monster, she looked back and smiled victoriously; she didn't see him. She must have run far enough away to escape him. She collided with something – probably a tree – and looked up: Slender Man stared her down angrily, smile turned into a particularly nasty scowl. She paled, knowing she was in trouble.

"Acting like that," Slender Man warned, extra appendages waving menacingly, "only makes your death come quicker." He grabbed her roughly by the arm and dragged her back to their previous spot, and sat her down on her knees on the cold, dirty ground. His evil smirk reappeared as she stared up at him, terrified, and he murmured, "Be a good girl and stay put. If you try to run, I will know. Not that there's anywhere for you to run to anyways…" A vindictive laugh rang through the woods, and he left her sitting alone in the growing fog.

When she was positive she was alone, Parker screamed in anger and sadness and curled up on her side with furious tears running down her cheeks. "I FUCKING HATE YOU SLENDER MAN!"

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><p>An officer looked up from his papers at the two boys, raising a brow. "Can I help you boys?"<p>

Stan nodded, voice clearly gone. He looked sadly to Cartman, who in turn raised the gun and set it on the edge of the police man's desk. The older man's eyebrows practically flew off his face when he laid eyes on it, noticing the black goopy blood attached to it, and called the other officers in. They all stared at it, back up at the duo, and conversed amongst themselves momentarily before turning their full attention back to the raven and the fat teen. Questions flew left and right, and the duo answered to the best of their ability, occasionally stopping because of a broken voice or a sudden crying fit. The police were sympathetic and told the two to take as much time as they needed, and when they finally got answers to all of their questions, they got right to work on the report. Thankfully living in such a small town meant everyone knows everyone else. Someone must have seen what happened to her, or at least knew where she went. Stan and Cartman could only hope at this point.

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><p>Parker lay still on the forest floor, glaring at the fallen leaves surrounding her. She'd been contemplating running away for the last ten minutes while coming down from her rage. The only problem, she realized, is that vines would spring to life and snatch her up as she ran just like in her nightmares. A brief second passed where she just scoffed at the idea, but in Slender Man's world anything horrible was really possible. She shuddered. Everything was silent but her quick, panicked breaths; not even the wind made any sound. Then again, there wasn't any wind to begin with. Slowly the brunette sat up and looked around; no sign of Slender Man, or of Kenny either, for that matter. She felt her heart drop and realized maybe Kenny couldn't find her as she'd hoped. Oh god, what if she was stuck here? What if the Slender Man wasn't lying and really WOULD kill her! Her panic kicked back into overdrive and she sprinted up and away, blindly running as far away as she could in vain hope to escape this horrible nightmare. She stumbled over holes in the ground and tripped once over her own foot, but kept going strong. A whipping sound could be heard and she turned to look: just like in her nightmares, vines were shooting up from the ground, waving and twisting and possibly bloodthirsty. The girl screamed loudly and high-tailed it as fast as she could, dodging the vines and desperately looking for a safe place to hide, crying and screaming at herself to wake up already. A vine cracked at her foot painfully, breaking the skin and making her bleed, before another hastily attached itself around her ankle. She fell hard on her elbows as she was yanked back, and hissed at the pain. Her leg tugged back as hard as it could but the vine wouldn't give it up, so she resorted to clawing at it with her hands, doing hardly any damage that she could see. She desperately looked around and spotted a jagged-looking rock lying close by. Stretching out to reach it, she grabbed hold of it and violently brought the rock down, bashing it hard against the vines repeatedly until they turned to near-mush and released her. The brunette darted off again, holding the rock close to her chest for protection.<p>

'Wake up, wake up, wake up, WAKE UP, WAKE UP!' She ran on and on, searching for a break in the trees. What she found none, tears welled up in her eyes and quickly fell to the ground. She would be stuck in this horrible nightmare world forever, or at least until the Slender Man finally came back and killed her. She whimpered and closed her eyes, attempting to break free from everything: she would wake up if she concentrated hard enough, right? Right, she had to. Mentally she counted to three and opened her eyes; nope, she was still in that dark forest with a bleeding foot and the sharp rock in her hands. She tried again and again, each time getting closer to breaking down. Finally after some five or six times, she realized there was no waking up. She collapsed to the ground and cried angry, sad, horrified tears as she realized she was going to die, and at the hands of a monster. A sudden sound like faint footsteps caught her ears, but she dared not move. They were getting closer, closer, closer…then just stopped right behind her. She tensed up and held her breath. The urge to look was unbearable. Hesitantly, she peered over her shoulder, and her eyes went wide and tear-filled again when she was met with a smirk.

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><p>Knock, knock, knock. A woman opened the door, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She looked at the group of police officers in alarm, then down at Stan and Cartman, then back up to the officers. "Um, can I help you Officer?"<p>

"Yes, have you seen any strange activity this evening?"

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Strange how?"

The officers looked to the two boys. They gave each other a nervous look before Stan spoke up, "Well, anything really unusual. Our friend's gone missing and all we found of her was her dad's gun covered in black bloody stuff…"

"Oh dear! I'm sorry kids, but I haven't seen anything of the sort; I've been sleeping since nine last night."

Cartman sighed. "Thanks anyways," he said, nodding. He and Stan, and the officers, left the lady's porch in hopes of getting a lead elsewhere. As they walked, Cartman turned to Stan and frowned in worry. "Dude, does her dad know yet?"

Stan stopped in his tracks. All color drained from his face as he stared the fat teen in the eye. "Fuck dude, we messed up bad…he has no idea. He thinks she's still with us!" He bit his lip and looked around, hoping Parker was hiding and would jump out when they mentioned how deep in shit they were that her dad had no clue. When she didn't, he whimpered, taking Cartman by surprise. "Dude, we can't tell him!"

"Why not? We have to Stan," the fat boy said. When the noirette shook his head furiously in a panic, Cartman sighed and reasoned, "At least he can't shoot us this time. What's he gonna do: jab us with a broom?"

Stan almost smiled, but quickly frowned again. "Don't underestimate him," he warned.

The group made their way across town to Parker's house, and Carman started feeling the same dread currently residing in the pit of his black-haired friend's stomach. What if he really would hurt them if they told? They'd already seen him flip out once before; it wasn't pretty. If that was just about Parker staying the night, they were terrified to know what he'd do in this situation. Suddenly an idea struck the fat teen: maybe Parker had come home after all? She'd been out for whatever reason, seen something, dropped her dad's gun, and ran home and was safe and sound in her own bed, trying to sleep. He turned to Stan and pitched the idea, to which the other boy nodded and took some comfort in, but he said that telling the brunette's father would still be the best – and most dangerous to their health – option to take. Reluctantly they knocked on the door and waited, minutes later greeted by the blonde man, who was almost unrecognizable. Without his long wig and makeup, he looked like any regular guy. He looked inquisitively down at the boys and smiled sleepily, but when he looked up and noticed the police office, his smile shattered and turned into an absolutely horrified expression. Tears instantly sprang to his eyes and rolled down his cheeks, much to Stan and Cartman's heartbreak. What he said made everyone there feel a deep cut of sorrow.

"It's happened again, hasn't it?"

An officer behind the boys walked up and patted the crying man's shoulder, trying to comfort him. "She's not dead that we know of, sir; she's just missing. We, uh…we found this with the boys." He waved another officer over, who walked up and presented the black-splattered gun with a deep frown. The blonde father sobbed and clutched at his chest. "They said she just up and left in the middle of the night, and they have no idea where she could have gone to. She's never done this before, right?"

"No, never…" He wiped away his tears and sighed shakily, staring at his gun he never knew was with his little girl. "She'd been having a lot of nightmares lately and waking up during the night, but she's never done anything like this."

The officer nodded. "Don't worry, sir; we have every available officer on the case. As we speak, everyone back at the station is out and looking for your daughter. We won't rest until we find her."

Cartman and Stan exchanged a depressed look when Parker's dad broke down into a sobbing fit there on the porch. They felt horrible, like this whole mess was their fault. If only they'd been awake before she left…

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><p>I feel like this one came out really sad...at least to me anyway. Next one should hopefully be less sad. :)<p> 


	35. Chapter 35

Sorry for the wait everybody! This chapter got really long, really fast. So yeah lol don't worry, Parker's not dead. She wouldn't die off that easily :) Anywho, this latest chapter is a lot longer than the previous ones. Enjoy! :D

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><p>"Get up, Parker. I'm taking you back." Kenny bent down and gently pulled the brunette up with a smile. Parker felt overjoyed tears slip from her eyes and stain her cheeks as she was pulled to her feet; was this really happening? The sharp sting of pain told her something was real, that's for sure. She hissed and shifted all her weight to her unharmed foot, then turned her gazed up toward the towering blonde. He noticed her bleeding and chuckled, scooping her up and holding her bridal-style. She felt the faintest of blushes spread across her cheeks, but smiled and thanked him. As he focused back on South Park in his mind, something came flying at him and wrapped around his throat painfully tight. Parker was dropped back to the ground and his hands flew to his neck, trying to pry off whatever it was strangling him.<p>

"I didn't expect you to find her so quickly…" Slender Man strolled out from behind a tree and smirked at the choking Kenny. "I must say, job well done. But, now I'm afraid I can't let you take her."

Parker, as petrified as she was, grew furious. Remembering the rock in her hand, she began viciously smashing it against the pale man's extra appendage strangling her friend. He laughed as it did little damage, but that didn't stop her; she kept hitting as hard as she could, and when she realized it was going nowhere, she turned on her heel and whipped the rock at Slender Man's head. It bounced off his cheek, grazing a nice cut in the process, and he let go of Kenny in an act of reflex. The blonde saw the being grow enraged and pushed Parker out of the way just before a barrage of tentacles slammed down where she stood mere seconds earlier. He growled and looked to Kenny.

"Why are you protecting her?" he demanded angrily, retracting his appendages.

Kenny's black eyes narrowed, white orb turning blood-red. "Because I love her!" Extra limbs shot out of his own back and flew at the Slender Man, who grinned cynically and vanished. Not a second later, he was behind Kenny and stabbed him through the stomach, reveling in the blonde's pained shout. Parker screamed at him to stop, but that only fueled his wrath. His arm twisted in Kenny's skin and pulled back out, black blood staining his arm and dripping grotesquely from his long, sharpened fingers. The brunette retched at the sight, eyes shutting tight in a hopeless attempt to block out the scene before her.

"You…bastard…" Kenny dropped to his knees, holding his stomach, and coughed. Blood spewed from his mouth, leaking out the corner of his mouth and dripping down his chin with every cough. Parker winced at the sound, imagining how horrible the pain must be. She could hear Kenny whisper something, but couldn't make it out before hearing a dull thud hit the ground. Her heart shattered when Slender Man laughed.

"Looks like I win," the evil being commented. Footsteps made their way to Parker, and her eyes flew open when he grabbed a handful of her hair. "Guess what that means?"

"No…"

He smirked. "Yes~" In a flash he sprouted his extra limbs and pulled her up, holding her in air by each arm and leg. She thrashed about in his grasp, but to no avail; he wasn't letting go anytime soon. The brunette suppressed a whimper and stared at her captor, glaring hard despite her crippling fear. He just kept grinning. "Say hello to your sister for me…"

His extra appendages pulled on her limbs swiftly and sharply, and she cried out in agonizing pain. This was it; he was going to pull her arms and legs right off her body. She cried when she heard a sickening pop, and screamed when she caught sight of his sadistic smirk. Just as she was ready to die, she felt him let her go, and she fell hard on her back to the ground. Looking up, she saw Kenny staggering to his feet and using his waving tentacle limbs to attack the Slender Man. She could feel her lips curl into a barely-there smile before darkness swallowed her up.

* * *

><p>She awoke some time later – she didn't know how long, but it was still dark – alone in the woods. Everything was normal again: the scenery was recognizable, she didn't feel a menacing presence, and the wind was caressing her cheek. She smiled and sat up. Big mistake. She grunted and flopped back down, clutching her shoulder in pain. Apparently her arm was popped out of place. Hurt tears glistened in her eyes but didn't fall, simply by sheer willpower. Gritting her teeth, she pulled herself up into a sitting position and looked down at her shoulder; yep, it was fucked up pretty bad. Parker, in a frightening act of malice, sincerely hoped that Kenny murdered Slender Man in the worst way possible when she fell unconscious.<p>

"Hey…"

Her head whipped around and found a single white orb staring her down from the darkness beyond. A sly smile shined beneath it, and the pale blonde stepped out from the shadows to come sit beside the broken girl. She smiled a little up at him, despite her slight discomfort of him, and asked what happened. He explained to her that he didn't die, but neither did the Slender Man, and petted her hair when he saw the crestfallen look on her face. They sat like that in an almost relaxed silence, Kenny's long arm wrapped protectively around Parker's waist and Parker's head resting against his arm. When she whimpered, he looked down, concerned.

"What's wrong?" he asked, frowning.

"My arm," Parker replied through gritted teeth. "He pulled it out of place…"

Kenny rubbed her arm gently and told her to brace herself. She practically screamed at the touch, and the blonde quickly wrapped an appendage around her mouth to keep her quiet. She looked up at him with wide, scared eyes, but he smiled and petted her hair again, whispering to her that everything would be okay. She just had to trust him. After several long minutes, she finally relaxed and closed her eyes in wait. He counted aloud one, two, three, and finally popped her shoulder back into its socket. Parker screamed bloody murder, but thanks to Kenny's makeshift gag it came out as a muffled groan. The brunette couldn't stop the whimpers and the tears that escaped her, so the blonde pulled her close in a gentle hug and kissed her forehead, telling her how brave she is for going through all of this. She sniffled and felt herself being readjusted, and quickly found herself square in the middle of Kenny's lap, and blushed deeply before looking away shyly. Kenny chuckled and kissed the top of her head again.

"I love you, Parker." He ran his fingers through her hair. "Do you love me?"

Parker hesitated, wanting to say yes but also wanting to admit that she didn't love him like she did before. He wasn't the same blonde high school boy she fell head over heels for; he was a monster now. A monster that killed her closest friends, and would no doubt kill again. She did still care for him though, but she missed when he was human. "You've changed," she murmured, not daring to meet his eyes. "I'm sorry, Kenny…I don't love you the way I used to." She felt his long fingers stop playing with her hair, and he seemed to grow stiff. Parker could feel him staring at her with a heartbroken expression, and decided against meeting his gaze. He shifted beneath her and wrapped his long arms around her stomach and neck, and she immediately screamed; she shouldn't have told him. The saddened blonde pulled her close in a tear-filled, heartbroken hug and kissed her head one last time before pulling her off his lap and setting her down beside him. She looked up, confused. What was he doing? He stood, looked down at her with tear-stained pale cheeks, and disappeared on the spot, leaving her alone in the woods once again. She pulled her knees up to her chest, laid her head on them, and cried quietly.

* * *

><p>"Wait, listen…" Stan halted the group and strained his ears, listening for any sound he thought he heard. Just as he thought; there was definitely something in the trees. He turned back to the waiting group of officers, Cartman, and Parker's dad, and nodded forward before trudging through the thicket of trees. They all were careful not to step on sticks and scare away the sound. Closer and closer they got, and the sounds progressively got louder. Was someone crying out here? Stan furrowed his brows and journeyed on, peering around for the source. Finally it was crystal clear in his ears and he told everyone to stop a moment. He ventured on a few feet, peeking around the trees, and finally spotted the source of the sounds: a child dressed in a short nightgown, messed-up hair, neon shoes –<p>

"Parker…?"

The child looked up in surprise and whirled around; it was Parker! The noirette ran forward and dropped to his knees beside his crying friend, hugging her close with a relieved tear or two sneaking out from his tear ducts. He asked a million questions and looked her over for any injuries, absolutely dumbstruck that she was here and okay. The others all came forward, much to the brunette's surprise, and Cartman and her father ran up to greet her back and ask her things and make sure she was okay. She told them all she was fine, and snuck a quick look around; Kenny was nowhere to be found. Her heart hurt to think about him and what she'd said to him, but she had to be honest. She couldn't love a monster, especially after everything he's done. She snapped back to reality when she felt her dad stroke her hair with bawling eyes, and smiled up at him while rubbing his arm appreciatively, telling him that she was okay now. When she saw the gun in one officer's hand, she knew she was in deep stuff. She'd tell them later.

"Guys," she murmured, making them all stop, "I really just wanna sleep…"

"Of course, sweetie," the blonde father said, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. He helped his daughter up and held her hand as they all walked back to Stan's house. Everyone was quiet, almost afraid to speak, until Stan turned to face the brunette; he looked about as happy as a two-legged mouse in a snake tank. Parker could tell she would be attacked with questions and berating when they stepped through his front door, but she could care less right now. Maybe a good yelling-at will bring her back to the world and make her feel something. Her dad's hand tightened around hers before relaxing again, and she couldn't help the tiny smile forming on her face as she squeezed his hand slightly before relaxing it again. The tiniest of grins could be seen making an appearance on his face as he did it again, and they continued on this way until Stan's house came into view. The officers thanked the boys before heading back toward the station, and Parker's father thanked them as well before hugging his little girl tight and kissing her forehead, handing her emergency money, and finally turning to walk home himself. Stan smiled after him and waved, before closing the door and turning to face Parker. Ah, there was that rage he forgot in the woods. Even Cartman was giving her a mean look, but then again when doesn't he give people a dirty look?

"Mind explaining what happened tonight?" Stan asked dangerously soft, arms crossed across his chest and foot tapping the floor impatiently. If Parker weren't in such deep shit, she would have laughed and told Stan how much he looked like a pissed housewife.

"Really! What the hell were you thinking?" Cartman barked as he took a seat on the couch. "Up and running off in the middle of the night…you're lucky you didn't wind up dead!"

"And what was with your dad's gun, huh? We found it by the police station covered in black bloody stuff!" The noirette glared hard into the brunette's eyes, stomping up to her and getting in her face. "Why did you take it with you, hm? What did you shoot and run away from?"

Parker deflected every question with a downward glance. She wanted to spill it, but she just couldn't bring herself to say anything. It's like a bad dream that slowly fades from your memory the very next morning. She looked up into his eyes. They were grayish-blue, almost a muted color, and right now looked like the raging sea. "I can't tell," she finally whispered, looking back down at her feet. Inside she wanted to cry, but the tears wouldn't come. Instead, she made her way upstairs and went into Stan's room, much to both boys' confusion. Moments later she came back down sporting a pair of the raven-haired teen's jeans, and made for the door. She opened it and looked outside, looked back to her friends, and said, "I'm going to Benny's…" before shutting the front door and making her way down the street. Cartman and Stan gave each other a baffled and angry look before texting her to call them when she got there.

Stan threw himself onto the couch with an irritated sigh. "Tell me, why aren't we running after her again?"

"Because, dude." He turned on the television and looked to his friend. "Girls need their space after something like this happens. She's got a lot on her mind tonight, and even though she ran off and shot something, she needs her own time and space to come down from her thoughts. Worst thing that can happen now is her running into the Goth kids."

The noirette nodded silently, eyes glued to the TV set with zero interest. "I guess you're right," he mumbled. "I still think we should follow her."

Cartman grinned. "Give her time, dude."

* * *

><p>The brunette entered the restaurant and looked around; not many people in here this late at night. Honestly, she was a little surprised they were even open at all. It must have been around five or six by now. Then again, people do get up early and come out for breakfast…she let the thought go as a waitress welcomed her and showed her to a small table. She ordered some coffee and watched the waitress lady scamper off to the kitchen. Sometimes she really did wonder how people could be so peppy this early in the morning.<p>

"Look guys, it's another conformist from school."

Parker was brought out of her thoughts by this comment and looked around, quickly spotting a small group of kids dressed in black. They were sitting at a booth, staring at her with steaming mugs of what she guessed was coffee in their hands. She made a face and flipped them the bird.

"That's real classy," the girl in black said, taking a sip of her drink. "Apparently you didn't realize there's a lady present."

"Apparently you didn't realize that - "

"Here you go, kiddo," the waitress politely spoke up, carting a mug and pot of fresh-brewed coffee. She set it down in front of Parker and filled it to the brim, smiling and telling her to give a shout if there's anything else she needed. And with that, she ruffled the brunette's hair and scampered off. Parker stared after her, slightly amused, and added sugar and cream to the drink before mixing and swallowing half the cup in one swig. A content sigh escaped her lips before returning a glare to the Goths.

"Just forget it, you guys aren't worth my time," she mumbled, waving at hand in their direction.

The boy with red steaks in his hair scoffed. "That's right; go back to your cookie-cutter conformist life. You're just like everybody else."

Parker, growing angry once again, downed the rest of her coffee. "I'm more than positive everybody else doesn't get attacked by monsters and watch their friends die around them," she mumbled into her cup, eyes darting to the window. The sun should be rising soon. Suddenly remembering Stan's order, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialed the raven's number. When he picked up, Parker told him everything was fine, and she was just calling to check in ("Are those the Goth kids?" Stan asked. "Nevermind, they're not important." Parker grinned.), and he reminded her to just stay careful when walking back home. After hanging up, she slipped the phone back into her pocket and called the waitress over for another cup. Damn, she needed more sleep.

'Parker…'

Oh no. No, no, no. Not here, not now!

Tap, tap, tap.

She braved a look behind her. In the window behind her seat was who else but Kenny, smiling in at her. His long finger tapped the glass, eerily loud to her. His smile glistened, sharpened teeth standing proud…and hungry-looking. Oh, fuck. His blackened eyes were wide and scary, and the orb in his eye, which normally stayed white, was flashing a piercing red. He tilted his head at her frightened look, but that smile never left his face.

'I will wait for you, my princess~'

"Go away," Parker whispered under her breath, eyes wide and panic-stricken.

'Always wait…for you…my love…' His smile spread wider, seemingly stretching from ear to ear.

Parker squeezed her eyes shut and covered her ears, praying that it would block out the blonde's words from buzzing around in her head. Seconds turned into minutes, and nothing happened. The distant sound of the Goths' words hung in the air, muffled by the ears clasped so tightly around her ears. Should she look? Yes. Her eyes slowly opened, only to reveal the sudden lack of a certain pale blonde. It was as if he was never there. Everyone was staring at her, she realized, so she flushed slightly and took another long swig of her coffee. This couldn't be happening. Did her rejection cause Kenny to go insane? She feared for her life twice as bad now. Sleep was now a thing of the past.

"Hey kid," the red-streaked Goth spoke up, "what's your problem?"

Parker didn't answer. She couldn't even come up with a good enough lie right now. Her hands were shaking as she held the mug, staring off into space with frightened eyes. A light touch to her shoulder made her jump and nearly drop her cup, but when she looked, she realized it was one of the Goths; he had curly hair and an almost-concerned look on his face. Why was he touching her?

"You need to relax," he said simply. He took the mug out of her hands and took a drink like it was his own, ignoring her glare. "And your coffee tastes too sweet. Try toning it down some."

"Why are you even talking to me?" Parker asked a bit rudely. It didn't seem to faze the older boy. "I thought I was just some cookie-cutter conformist unworthy of your time or breath."

"You are," he deadpanned. What a charmer. "But your freak-out made us think you weren't like other people, so we want to know what's up with you."

The brunette raised a brow and shrugged his hand off her shoulder. "I'm not some little lab rat you need to study," she retorted, "so just leave me alone…and give me back my coffee!"

The curly-haired boy narrowed his eyes at her. "Fine," he said, handing her the mug.

She swiped it out of his hands like lightning and took a sip, making sure to turn the cup as not to come in contact with his lip germs on the rim. Watching him walk toward his table, she felt almost bad for being a jerk to them. After all, she'd acted the same way to her friends when she first met them, but soon after they all became inseparable. Sighing, she got up and followed him to the table, trying her best not to let the others' stares affect her.

"Wait," she said, grabbing his arm. He turned to give her a weird look and sat down with her hand still on his arm. She sat down, sensing the other Goths' irritability, and looked down. "Look, sorry about what I said to you guys. I'm kinda dealing with a lot right now."

"We're all dealing with a lot," the black-clad girl said, glaring, "but you don't see us acting like total pricks to everybody."

Parker wanted to call her out, but resisted the urge. "I really can't say much, but…well, thanks for not being my closest friends." Oh wow, that came out sounding horrible! She just hoped they would understand what she meant by it, and nothing rude.

"Our pleasure," the smallest Goth said.

The brunette couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or sincere, so she went with the latter. She eased up a bit and relaxed, and looked up at the kids around her; nothing too different, except for the head-to-toe black. Under everything, they were all just regular people like her. She took some comfort in this, despite not being able to tell them, and looked up at the window. Nope. He was pressed against the glass, grinning horribly down at her with those sharp teeth gleaming. The red in his eye seemed to be moving around, vibrating almost, as it never left her eyes, sending her almost into a trance-like state. Tap, tap, tap. He licked his lips. She screamed and fell out of her seat, curling up on the floor with her eyes shut tight.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"Oh fuck…hey, HEY! SOMEONE HELP US HERE!"

The restaurant employees crowded around Parker, asking her a million questions at once. The Goths, in a shocking act of kindness, were trying to calm her and sat her up on the floor, holding her up by letting her lean against them. Parker's words failed her, as now she was left only a screaming, whimpering, terrified mess on the ground in Stan's pants. She looked back to the window and saw him smirking, obviously enjoying the show. His long fingers traced a heart against the glass. Parker tried to get the others to see by pointing, but when they all looked, they were confused. She looked back; he was gone. Dammit, he was making it look like she'd lost it. Slowly her screaming subsided and everyone was relieved. Probably none more so than the Goths.

The girl in black nodded to her friends before shouting, "Alright everyone, we got this. We'll take her home. Come on guys." The four helped the panicking Parker to her feet and escorted her outside, clapping their hands over her mouth when she looked ready to scream again. "Just chill, will you? My mom's car is right there."

"Does your mom know you took her car…again?" the red-streaked boy asked.

The girl looked at him with a blank face and replied, "Does it look like I care?"

They all helped her into the backseat, squished between the smallest Goth and the red-streaked Goth. The curly-haired boy took the passenger seat, while the girl strapped herself into the driver's side and started the car up. They took off, going a little too slowly for Parker's liking. She constantly darted her eyes around to every window, and even turned in her seat to look out the back windshield. Annoyed, the red Goth put his hand on her shoulder and pushed her back down in her spot, prompting a scared look from her. He just stared into her eyes until she broke eye contact and submissively sat still.

"So," the girl up front asked, "where am I taking you, kid?"

Parker looked up, startled by the sudden sound. "Uh, Stan Marsh's house."

The curly-haired Goth turned and looked at her with a raised brow. "Stan Marsh? You actually know him?"

"Y-Yeah…why?"

"He used to hang with us back in elementary school," the small Goth piped up, looking at her. "Never quite fit in, but he came pretty close."

"Yeah, until he gave in to his delusions that happiness exists in life." The red-streaked Goth flipped his bangs out of his eyes and sighed. "Happiness isn't real. Life is nothing but pain and suffering. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying."

Parker fell back into silence, feeling a little uncomfortable all of a sudden. Her phone started hissing softly from her pocket, and she tensed up. Thank god they were nearly to Stan's. She looked around again, trying to feign bravery, and spotted him again. His smile was the same as it had been at Denny's; it's almost like it was permanently carved into his face. The car passed by him with nobody else noticing him watching them, and Parker had to hold back a scream. It came out as a whimper, causing everyone to look at her. In a growing panic, Parker harshly told the girl to keep driving. Soon enough, they were sitting in front of Stan's house. Fear still clouded Parker's mind as the phone continued to hiss in her pocket, and she looked to the red-streaked Goth next to her helplessly.

"Um…will you, uh…w-walk me to the door…?" Damn, her cheeks burned. This had to be the most humiliating thing she's done since moving to South Park.

The boy snickered; that couldn't have meant anything good. "Someone embarrassed?"

"Please," the brunette practically begged.

"Oh alright." He opened the car door and let her crawl out, shut the door behind her, and walked her to the front door. He knocked loudly, and not a minute later Stan was there, looking bewildered that Parker was standing there looking so scared. She quickly thanked the Goth before running past Stan and into the safety of his house. He smiled after her, but quickly turned to a scowl when he locked eyes with the familiar boy still on his doorstep. The Goth flipped his hair again and raised his eyebrows at Stan.

"Still living as a conformist, I see."

"What do you want, Dylan?" Stan asked, annoyed.

The red-streaked Goth – Dylan was his name – scoffed at Stan's tone. "I was just bringing back your friend. He had a panic attack or freak-out or something at Denny's, so we decided to bring him home."

A car horn made them both look back to the car. "Hurry it up!" the girl shouted, pounding on the horn.

"One sec, Henrietta," Dylan said, waving at her. He turned back to Stan and sighed. "It's a real shame you're not still with us, Raven."

Stan narrowed his eyes. "Don't call me that anymore," he mumbled. "I'm not going back to your little group, not in a million years. Life isn't as bad as you think it is."

"At least it wasn't when you joined us." Dylan shrugged and turned to head back to his waiting friends. With a last glance toward the noirette in the doorway, he sighed and got back into the car, and the group drove away. Stan stared after them and shook his head, shutting the door to join his own friends on the couch.

"Why were you with them?" Stan asked, running his fingers through Parker's hair.

Parker looked at him, surprised. "I-I wasn't, really…they brought me here, that's all…"

Cartman gave her a skeptical look. "Why would a bunch of faggy Goth kids wanna help a normal kid like you?"

"Beats me…"

Stan sighed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, ignoring her panicked look. "Parker, you really don't want to get caught up in a group like theirs. Trust me, it's bad news. They smoke heavily, drink coffee nonstop, hang out at cemeteries, and constantly bitch and moan about how horrible life is. They're not the kind of people you want around you."

"Yeah, dude, especially that Evan."

"Evan?" Parker echoed.

"The tallest guy with the curly hair," Stan explained. "He's one of the main reasons that little kid is around them all the time. Georgie used to be a normal kid, but they got him back in kindergarten. I was with them for a while a long time ago too, and when I left them after realizing life is better than I thought, they…uh, well…"

Cartman broke in, "They totally handed his ass to him on a silver platter."

Stan flipped him off with a roll of his eyes. "Fuck you, Cartman."

Parker nodded. "I see. Don't worry, though; I don't plan to hang with them. They just drove me back here and that's it."

Stan and Cartman smiled. "Good." The three of them decided that since it was starting to get light out, they might as well stay awake. Cartman waddled into the kitchen to fetch a bowl of cereal while Stan and Parker made themselves comfier on the couch. Stan took one side, while Parker took the other, stretching her legs out and resting them comfortably on the noirette's lap. He smiled over at her and rubbed her shins gently, turning his attention back to early-morning cartoons. A nagging feeling in the back of her mind told her that tonight wasn't over yet; Kenny would be back, she just knew it. And this time, he wouldn't hesitate to strike.

A loud crash upstairs made the two teens on the couch jump. "WHO THE FUCK LEFT THESE SKATES UP HERE!"

"CARTMAN, YOU FAT BASTARD! MY SISTER'S GONNA KILL US!"

* * *

><p>Had to inject a little comedy in this one. So much negativity needs a little boost of goofiness, am I right? So, Kenny's lost it and seems to be hunting Parker now. Looks like the Slender Man has some competition. Don't forget to leave a review :) Those ward off the evil Slender Kenny! Lol<p> 


	36. Chapter 36

Surprises lie ahead, you have been warned. :) Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Parker laughed when Shelly stomped down the stairs and flashed her meanest snarl at Stan and Cartman. The fat boy paled slightly and ran back into the kitchen to escape the angry girl's wrath, and Stan just looked at her with a frightened expression. Parker quickly realized he wasn't moving because his sister hadn't noticed her sitting there yet. A grin spread across her face and she sat up, flinging an arm over the back of the couch and staring at Shelly head-on; the raging girl stopped short and blushed when she met the brunette's eyes. Stan could be seen from the corner of her eyes silently thanking her. She chuckled.<p>

"You seem upset," Parker said, smiling at Shelly. She patted the couch by her legs invitingly, tilting her head slightly when the other girl's face turned a deeper shade of pink. "Come sit down a while. Watch cartoons with us."

Shelly looked away, scowling. "I-I'm fine. I, uh, I started my period." With that, she bolted upstairs, covering her mouth and obviously embarrassed at what she just said. Stan busted out laughing, while Parker sat silently, cringing at the mental image.

"Is it safe yet?" Cartman shouted from the kitchen.

"All clear!" Stan laughed.

Cartman poked his head out from the kitchen entrance and looked around, making sure there was no sign of the angry girl. He smiled and made his way to the floor, sat down, and ate while watching some cartoon Parker wasn't even paying that much attention to. In all honesty, her mind was still clouded over with worry and guilt; she knew she was responsible for Kenny's broken heart and, in turn, his broken mind. He'd loved her, but she couldn't return his feelings. To her surprise, her arms curled around her own torso and hugged herself tightly, wanting to cry and make everything right. Before the others could notice her odd behavior, she asked, "Is it cool if I take a shower, Stan?"

The noirette nodded, smiling at her. "Of course, dude," he replied. He pointed up toward the ceiling and added, "Towels are in the little closet next to the bathroom, and the faucets are touchy, so just be careful not to burn or freeze. If you need any help, just ask my sister."

Parker nodded. "Thanks. Be out shortly." She got up off the couch and hiked up the stairs toward his room, eager to clean herself off and change clothes. Passing through Stan's bedroom door, she opened up her overnight bag and retrieved clean clothes before heading toward the bathroom. She grabbed a fluffy white towel out of the closet, closed the bathroom door behind her, and ran the water until it was perfect. Then she quickly stripped down and shut the curtain tight behind her, relishing the feel of hot water against her cool skin.

'What happens now…?' she thought, frowning. Spotting a bottle of Aussie shampoo, she quickly grabbed it and poured a glob into her hand, set the bottle back, and lathered her soaked locks with the sweet-smelling hair product. Bubbles tickled her ears and dripped down her back, and she quickly covered her face in them, washing away the dirt and sweat and leftover tears from the night before. It was a good thing, she thought. She stuck her head under the hot stream of water and rinsed well, running her hands through her now-clean tresses. She sighed at the feeling, smile growing on her face and a tingling in her toes. The soap made friends with her body, scrubbing her arms and legs and every other area on her body. Taking another few minutes to rinse (and warm up), she turned the water off and wrung out her hair, and finally peeked into the rest of the room from behind the shower curtain. Empty. Quickly she stepped out of the tub and began vigorously rubbing her hair dry.

Tap, tap, tap.

Everything stopped, including her breathing. The towel was pulled off her head slowly and she turned, eyes wide and horrified, to gaze at the window. Dare she pull back the curtain and look? No, no she couldn't. She shouldn't. She wouldn't! Her speed picked up drastically as she threw on her clean clothes, grabbed her towel, and ran out of the room to alert the others. Just as she hoped, Stan and Cartman were still seated on the couch downstairs, conversing and watching the news. Suddenly she stopped, doubting herself; what if it was a tree outside the window, hitting the glass because of the wind? Yes, that was probably it. Her lips curled into a silly smile. She was imagining things, surely Kenny – or Slender Man, for that matter – wouldn't be out during daylight. She couldn't help but laugh, making the boys turn, surprised, and smile at her warmly.

"How do you feel now?" Stan asked.

"A lot better," Parker replied. "Thanks."

"Anytime."

Cartman stretched and yawned loudly. "I think I'm gonna do the same. Be back soon." He hauled himself up and ascended the stairs. Parker smiled after him and walked toward the couch, dumping herself onto it and getting comfortable. Stan chuckled and pulled her leg up onto his lap, prompting a curious look from the clean girl. He just shrugged.

"I like when you rest your feet on me," he said simply. "I dunno why. It's just…nice."

Parker blinked and finally smiled, and brought her other foot up to rest on her friend's lap. "I don't mind. You do make a comfortable foot rest," she laughed.

* * *

><p>The sun was shining bright, a warm breeze rustled the leaves on the trees, and the trio was down at Stark's Pond just hanging out. Cartman and Parker were skipping rocks on the water, and Stan sat behind on the grass, watching them with a little grin. Parker had tried to get the noirette to join, but he politely declined, insisting that he'd rather watch instead. At first Parker let it slide, but after a while of extended silence from the raven-haired boy, she excused herself from Cartman's side to kneel beside the quiet boy. She stared at him with curiosity, determined to get him to spill his mind. When he flashed her a quick shy smile and looked away, she grabbed his face and pulled it toward her. His cheeks flushed a little, but it went relatively unnoticed by the brunette.<p>

"What's up, Stan? You're being too quiet."

"Nothing," the raven-haired teen said, chuckling at his friend's assertiveness. "I just have a few things on my mind, that's all."

Parker tilted her head like a puppy. "Oh, like what?"

"Just…everything that's happened, I guess. Kenny disappearing out of nowhere, Craig losing his mind, Tweek dying, and Kyle…" He trailed off and pulled his face out of Parker's grasp, hair covering his eyes. The brunette could see his shoulders trembling and gently rubbed his back in an attempt to calm him; she hated seeing people cry, especially her friends.

"Hey," she cooed softly, "cheer up, dude. They're in better places now." She brought his face around again, despite his stubbornness, and wiped away the tears that fell with her thumbs with a tiny sad smile of her own. "I'm sad about it too; they were my best friends in South Park. But please, Stan…" She tipped his face up to look her in the eyes. "Please don't beat yourself up about it. I hate to say it, but you doing that won't bring them back. Just remember that whenever you feel sad, look up towards the sky; Kyle will send you a smile, and let you know he's still with you. Okay?"

Stan sniffled and nodded, taking a deep breath and letting it out in a heavy sigh. "Y-Yeah…you're right. I mean, I'll see them again someday, right?"

"Absolutely," Parker assured, nodding. "But you just have to be patient. And if you're not, I'll dig your body up and kick your ass!"

The noirette laughed, feeling a little better already. Parker knew how to cheer him up, and he couldn't have been more thankful for it. For her. Cartman, he knew, would never do something like this; sure he would help him and stuff, but he wouldn't be so in tune with his emotions like Parker was. He hugged the girl and thanked her, and smiled wider when she hugged back tightly and patted his back. Nothing could ruin this moment.

"GAAAAYYY!" Cartman drawled jokingly. Stan flipped him off behind Parker's back.

Well, almost nothing.

Stan and Cartman's cell phones screeched out their own ringtones, signaling the two boys that they had a text message. The two dug their phones out and opened the text, and both grinned. Parker looked from Stan to Cartman, confused. When Cartman cheered wildly and Stan mumbled something under his breath, Parker was bugging them to tell her what it was. The fat boy handed her his phone, and her expression seemed to fall.

"Oh…a party invite?" She handed the phone back to Cartman and gave him a little smile despite her upset of not being invited. She then turned to Stan and asked, "Did you get the same thing?"

"Yeah," he replied, nodding. His fingers flew across the buttons as he sent a reply back to the sender, most likely a confirmation that he'd be there. Parker looked back up to Cartman, and realized he was doing the same thing. She couldn't help but feel a little left out, and got quiet. The raven-haired boy immediately took notice and chuckled, slinging an arm around her shoulders. "You're going too, you know. Don't look so down."

The brunette looked at him, surprised. "What, really? But I didn't - "

"If we got invites and you didn't, do you really think we'd ditch you for some stupid party?" Cartman asked, smirking down at her. "Friendship is more important than girls and booze."

Stan looked up at him, flabbergasted. "Holy shit, are you the real Cartman?"

"The fuck is that supposed to mean?" the fat boy barked, glaring at his friend.

"It's just, that was a grown-up thing to say, that's all!"

Cartman laughed. "I've grown up a lot since elementary school, Stan. Don't underestimate me." He motioned for the raven and the brunette to get up, and led the way back to Stan's house. "Let's head back guys; we gotta look our best for tonight!"

They all walked back home, smiling and excited for the events later that evening. Cartman and Stan chatted about who might be there ("It's South Park, dude; everyone in school will be there!") while Parker thought about what she might wear. The guys might know about her being a girl, but that doesn't mean everyone else will. It occurred to her that wearing something cute might backfire. Horribly. It wouldn't be the same as the carnival, after all, so she had to play it safe and assume her male identity for the night. That was just fine with her, though; she wasn't planning to turn heads anyways.

'I'll just wear the outfit these guys first saw me in,' she thought, grinning.

* * *

><p>It was nearly dusk when the trio headed out to go to the party. Stan decided to wear a simple black t-shirt over a red long-sleeve shirt and jeans, while Cartman went full romantic guy, despite Stan's teasing; he told Stan he was trying to impress the ladies, not him. Parker laughed when Stan pushed him, Cartman joining in. As she planned, she was wearing her black and green-accented shirt and tight black jeans from the first day of school, complete with the black fingerless gloves and neon shoes. She'd painted her nails black as soon as they got home, and when the guys asked if that was giving her secret away, she simply told them that lots of guys wear black polish on their nails. They watched her work, fascinated at how girls were so clean with the chore. Last time Stan tried painting his nails black it just got everywhere, it seemed, but the nail. He wasn't happy to say the least, and neither was his sister. She hit him for taking her nail polish, and that was the end of that.<p>

"Are you sure you'll be alright in all that?" Stan asked, glancing at Parker. She was busy cleaning her glasses with the hem of her shirt. "You know how high school parties are, dude; dancing and all that, and most likely they won't open the windows, so it'll get pretty hot in there."

Parker laughed, slipping her glasses back on. "I'll be fine, Stan. If I get overheated, I'll step out for a sec or something."

"Is that such a good idea, considering…?"

"I'll be just outside the front door," the brunette replied, nodding. "If you guys want, you can stand with me out there to make sure nothing happens?"

Cartman smiled. "Better safe than sorry, right?"

Stan hummed, still not completely okay with the idea of his friend being out after dark. "Well…okay, I guess. Just make sure you tell us first. Got it?"

"Yes, Dad," Parker joked, rolling her eyes.

They hiked across town toward their destination – Bebe's house. Honestly, Stan and Cartman had no idea why she would invite them; well, Stan knew why HE was invited: simply to be made miserable by Wendy, of course. He thought that since he was invited, they might as well invite Cartman since he would just show up anyway. What the girls weren't expecting was Parker tagging along as well. Boy, were they in for a surprise! They finally made it across town and walked up to the front porch, and knocked loudly. The music was already blaring, but that wasn't surprising. Bebe opened the door wide, dressed in a rather provocative mini dress. A smile lit up her face as she beckoned the boys inside, but stopped suddenly when she saw Parker, and shoved a hand into her chest with a deep scowl.

"Nobody invited you," she stated rudely. "Leave. Now."

Stan noticed what was happening, and stepped in. "Hey, he's with us. He can be here too, or we can leave."

Bebe glared at Stan, then glared at Parker who raised her eyebrows inquisitively at the fuming blonde. Finally she dropped her hand and reluctantly let the brunette in, glaring hard at the back of her head. She would be damned if that little punk ruined her night. Quickly she stomped to the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of cherry Pucker, and took a long swig straight from the bottle. Wendy gave her a worried look and handed her a cup.

"Something the matter?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Nope," Bebe lied, taking another long swig before filling Wendy's cup. "Everything's just peachy."

Back in the living room, Stan and Cartman were chatting with some other friends from school, while Parker stood quietly, feeling a little out of place. She really didn't know many people from school since she hardly talked to anyone. She truly envied her friends for being so easy to talk to. Someone knocked into her from behind, and when she turned to say something, she realized it was the black kid from gym class – Token was his name, she remembered. He apologized quickly before asking if she was okay, and she said yes, and soon after the two began chatting away like good friends. When Stan looked over and saw, he smiled and told Cartman, who grinned. They were glad she was starting to come out of her shell a little.

"I like your hair," Parker said over the music to Token. "I've always liked dreadlocks, but nobody could really pull it off before. Especially all pulled back in a ponytail."

Token chuckled and took a sip of his drink. "Yeah, not many people look too good with dreads. Except those Cyber Goth chicks. They look pretty sexy with colored dreads."

"One of my old friends used to have those!"

"Really? That's pretty awesome. Was she cute?"

Parker shrugged. "Well, she was really pretty, but I didn't see her as cute…well, not in that sense, anyway. She was pale and skinny, and always dressed dark but in a pretty way. You might have liked her, I think."

"Most likely," Token agreed, nodding. "So, how come you're always so quiet at school? You should talk more; you're a really cool kid to get to know."

"Just a lot going on right now, I guess…"

"Oh yeah, I forgot you were friends with…well…I'm sorry for all that's happened, man. Here." He took Parker's phone and added his number in, and handed it back to the surprised brunette. "In case you ever need to talk, you have my number. And don't be a such a stranger, okay?"

"O-Okay," Parker said, smiling. "Thanks, dude!"

"Anytime. Listen, I gotta go look for Clyde, so I'll catch you later, 'kay?"

"Sure thing." Parker waved as the dread-headed boy left and couldn't hold back a smile from growing on her face. She was finally starting to make more friends, and she was excited. Token seemed pretty cool; she might text him later on or something. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Stan and Cartman grinning at her, so she turned toward them and gave them a thumbs-up. They returned it, happy for her.

The night went on and found the trio relaxing and mingling with other guests, dancing to the loud music, and eventually having a few drinks. Parker made a point to go into the kitchen and get her own drink, not entirely trusting two certain girls glaring at her when she walked in and got her pop. She had a feeling they would try something when she wasn't looking, and the last thing she wanted was to be drugged and pass out with two angry classmates holding a grudge. Stan assured her it wouldn't happen, but she just didn't want to take the chance. Eight o'clock came and went, as did nine and even ten, and everybody was starting to really get into the party spirit; guys and girls danced to the music, some more dirty than others, and it was starting to become clear who was drunk and who wasn't. Thankfully Stan and Cartman were only a little tipsy, in case things got bad and they had to leave. Parker had the sudden urge to pee so she wandered around the house and past countless bodies in search for the bathroom.

"Ah! E-Excuse me! Um, do you…oh, sorry. Hey!" She tapped a random girl's shoulder, and was quite surprised when it turned out to be Bebe. She quickly bounced back from shock with a smile and asked, "Do you know where the bathroom is?"

The blonde girl nodded and grabbed her hand, taking her by surprise again. "Follow me." She still seemed pretty pissed for whatever reason, but led the way up the stairs past countless giggly drunk teens, and finally showed her the bathroom door. "You're welcome." As she turned to walk away, she felt the brunette grab her by the wrist. This time, she was the surprised.

Parker frowned at her, clearly angry. "Alright, what is your problem with me tonight?" she demanded angrily. "I've done nothing wrong!"

Bebe scoffed and struggled to get away, and all but screamed rape when Parker shoved her into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She then locked the door and glared back at Bebe, arms crossed over her chest and foot tapping impatiently against the floor. Bebe's annoyance and uncertainty could be seen clearly behind her eyes, and that only fueled the brunette's anger. She tilted her head slightly, bangs falling and covering one side of her glasses.

"I'm waiting," Parker muttered.

Bebe looked away angrily. "I don't need to explain myself to someone like you. You know what you did."

"Um, actually I don't. Mind enlightening me, Bebe?"

The blonde sighed, not meeting Parker's eyes. The brunette was starting to get tired of her refusal act. Finally she walked up to the other girl, put her hand on her shoulder, and blinked in confusion at the red tint spreading across her cheeks. "Are you okay?"

"No," Bebe mumbled.

"Are you coming down with a fever? Are you drunk?"

"I-I'm not drunk!"" Bebe snapped. "I just…I…" She stared at the concerned brunette and turned her eyes away again in annoyance. "It's none of your business, okay? Just leave me alone!"

"Not until you tell me why you hate me so much!"

"FINE!" Bebe turned back to the furious brunette, pushed her off and up against the door, and planted a heated kiss to her lips with a bright red face. Parker's eyebrows nearly jumped off her face as she realized what was happening, and pulled the blonde girl off her.

"DUDE! WHAT ARE YOU DOIING?"

Bebe glared hard at the baffled brunette and choked out an angry, "I-I like you, okay! There! That's why I'm so mad at you! Are you happy now?"

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><p>I bet none of you saw THAT coming, huh? :P Tell me what you think in a review please~<p> 


	37. Chapter 37

I had a little difficulty writing this chapter, as it gets pretty graphic later on. Also, depressing. Like, really depressing. Y'all been warned!

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><p>"W-WHAT?" Parker shook her head furiously. This isn't happening, it's just not! "Listen, Bebe, you can't do this. I can't like you back; I don't!"<p>

The blonde girl stared at the brunette hard for a moment before suddenly breaking into a deep frown. She took a deep breath and started crying loudly, greatly startling Parker. "IT'S BECAUSE YOU'RE GAY, ISN'T IT!"

Parker raised her eyebrows, confused and offended. "What? No! I'm not - "

"Don't lie to me!" Bebe screeched, pointing an accusing finger. "I saw the way you and Kenny looked at each other! Two guys aren't that close and not gay, you son of a bitch!"

"Bebe, please! I can - "

"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE! I HATE YOU, PARKER!" She sobbed and grabbed the brunette by the arm, yanked her away from the door, and shoved her backwards into the bathtub before speeding off with angry tears streaming down her face. Parker sat in the tub, dazed and in a great amount of pain, and groaned, reaching up to feel the back of her head. Ah, it stung bad! When she pulled her hand back and looked down at it, she hissed: blood covered her fingertips and most likely was smeared against the wall behind her. With another pained grunt, she climbed out of the tub and rolled up a wad of toilet paper, and applied it to her scrape. Normally she wouldn't hit girls, but in this case she figured she could make an exception.

"Ay! What are you doing up here, dude?"

Parker looked up, startled by the sudden voice, and saw Cartman leaning against the door's frame, smiling. She returned the smile and showed him the blood-stained wad in her hand. "Bebe threw me in the tub," she replied. "Freaked the fuck out when I told her I didn't like her, right after she kissed me."

"Whoa, whoa, hang on," the fat teen said, holding a hand up as if to really stop her. "Bebe kissed you? As in, on the lips?" When Parker nodded, his smile grew wide and a few laughs made their way into the air. "Dude, we have to go find Stan and tell him! This is, just, wow!" He pulled Parker along by her wrist down the hall and down the stairs past many drunken teens, and searched for his raven-haired friend. When he felt the brunette try to tug her arm away, he looked back toward her in confusion. "What's wrong?"

"I-I can't tell him. It's bad enough I told you – no offence – but I can't let anyone else know about this! Wait…oh shit, where's Bebe at?"

"PARKER!"

Cartman looked toward the scream, as did everyone else, and spotted the blonde girl standing in the kitchen entrance. Her eyes were puffy and rimmed in red from her heavy crying, and in her hand was a tall cup of what the brunette presumed to be alcohol. She was pissed. The music stopped as everyone waited for something to happen.

"Um, I'd say right there, man," Cartman replied.

"Thank you Captain Obvious," Parker said, staring at the furious Bebe.

The blonde took a long swig of her drink, shuddered, and tossed the cup to the floor before stomping up angrily and getting in Parker's face. "Why don't you like me, you good-looking bastard?" Oh god, she was completely wasted. The brunette tried to calm her down, to which Bebe responded by screaming, "No! Kenny's gone now, so why won't you love me instead!"

"Bebe, quiet down!" Parker whispered, staring at her in fear. "You need to go take a nap, try to sleep off the alcohol, okay?"

"Get away from me!" Bebe shouted, pushing the brunette back with surprising force. Parker fell backwards onto her ass, hit her head on the way down, and let out a hurt yelp, and glared up at the smugly-smiling drunk girl. She stuck her tongue out at Parker before dropping to her knees in front of her and crawling up Parker's body with angry, lust-filled drunken eyes. Parker started to panic, trying to get her off of her without throwing her.

"Bebe, please…"

She smirked, sitting on Parker's stomach. "You look so sexy when you're nervous," she murmured, leaning toward the brunette's face. Her chest was sticking out of her dress, and by the looks of it, Parker guessed she was another jump away from being fully exposed. Her face flushed and she tried to push the drunken girl away, but Bebe pinned her hands down above her head and licked her lips. "You're all mine now~"

"HEY!"

Everyone stopped and looked up; Stan was standing by the door, glaring at the scene ahead and completely sobered up. The other kids quickly flinched away when he walked up to Bebe and Parker, and pulled the blonde off his friend. He gave her a malicious glare and growled at her to get back in the kitchen, and when she reluctantly did so, he looked down at Parker and pulled her up. Then he gave everyone else a nasty look and demanded nobody lay a hand on her for the rest of the night, or there would be hell to pay. Nobody met his eyes as they all quietly agreed, and after a painfully long silence, someone turned the music back on. Parker could only stare at Stan in bewilderment. He met her gaze but didn't smile; instead he led her to the front door and brought her outside on the front porch.

"Sit," he said, taking a seat on the steps.

Worried, Parker sat down next to him and said nothing. The night air was cool on her skin despite it being summer already. She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with fresh air, and let the tiniest smile creep its way onto her face. However, when she glanced at Stan out of the corner of her eyes, she found him staring at her with the same almost-angry look as minutes earlier. She looked away, frowning.

"Stan, I - "

"Shh," the noirette said, putting a finger to her lips. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, taking notice of her flinch at the unexpected contact. When she was right beside him he murmured, "What I saw in there just now…explain to me how that all started."

With a sigh, the brunette told him everything: how Bebe was so pissed at her, how she kissed her in the bathroom and admitted she liked her, and how she pushed her into the bathtub and cracked her head open against the wall. When she got to the incident Stan saw the tail end of, she was looking around in fear and whispering so quietly that Stan could hardly hear her. Parker was so scared; she'd discovered a pattern with Kenny's murders lately, and that was whoever got close like he had with her, he would kill out of jealousy. He felt that she was betraying him by moving on. That wasn't the case at all, but there was no way she could explain that, especially now. She couldn't stop the tears welling up in her eyes, she couldn't stop them from falling, and she definitely couldn't stop Stan from hugging her tight and whispering that he'd protect her. At this point she couldn't tell if this was a good thing, or a quicker death.

Stan rubbed her back and eventually pulled back to look her in the eyes. He at least seemed less angry now, so that was always a good thing. "Come on," he said softly, "let's get back to the party. I'll make sure nobody else touches you tonight, alright?"

The brunette looked off in the distance. "I'm scared something bad will happen…" she admitted.

"Oh? Like what?"

"…What if Kenny comes back…?"

Stan chuckled and ruffled the brunette's hair. "He won't, kiddo. Trust me, okay?" He rested his forehead against Parker's and smiled. "I promise to keep you safe."

Parker blinked. 'I really wish you wouldn't say that…'

"Okay then, let's go dance," the raven-haired teen said cheerfully. He reached down and gently grasped Parker's hand, and led her back inside. Everyone stopped when they saw the door open, but when they all noticed Stan's happy demeanor, they relaxed and smiled, some even waved. Bebe was nowhere to be found, and when Stan asked, some kid told him that she and Wendy were upstairs in her room sulking. Stan laughed and said good riddance, then turned to the brunette with a smile that told her to relax. She did just that, but in the back of her mind her panic levels were rising to dangerous proportions.

* * *

><p>Another few hours passed, and by now it was well into the night. Nearly two in the morning and everyone was either passed out or still up partying. Parker was curled up on the floor in a corner, just watching the other teenagers have fun with a smile. Stan had been by her side for most of the night, but left not too long ago to mingle with some other friends. Was she mad? Of course not. Happy? For him, yes. She didn't want to be the anchor weighing him down all evening; she actually insisted he go have fun with the others. She took a drink of her pop and listened to the music playing around the room. She never knew Bebe would like the Punk Goes Pop songs, but she wasn't complaining. Woe, is Me's cover of "Hot and Cold" came on and Parker found herself tapping her foot along to the beat, and laughed when she realized the song could perfectly fit Bebe, especially after all that had happened between the two of them that night. She grinned and downed the rest of her drink, and decided maybe it would be best if she went up to see how the angry blonde was doing. Surely she was sober enough by now. With a quick nod, the brunette rose to her feet and made for the stairs, determined to explain everything to Bebe as nicely as she could.<p>

"Where are you going?"

Parker turned and spotted Stan behind her, and shrugged. "I thought I'd go check on Bebe and make sure she's okay. I feel kinda bad, you know?"

"Even though none of it was your fault," Stan reminded her. She could hear the tinge of amusement behind his serious expression, and smiled.

"Still, I at least want to make sure she's calmed down."

Stan gave her an apprehensive look but finally nodded, telling her to come find him when she came back down. She agreed and ascended the stairs, and searched for the blonde's room. One door was left ajar, the brunette noticed. She listened and heard two girls' voices: Bebe's and Wendy's. Unsure of how to go through the rest of her plan, she awkwardly knocked and nudged the door open wide enough to peek inside.

"Knock knock," she said, smiling shyly from the doorway.

Wendy looked up, startled. When she realized it was just Parker, she gave her a scowl and put a finger to her lips. "Shh! She's trying to sleep!"

"Oh, sorry," Parker whispered back. She shifted her weight from foot to foot, looking at Wendy, then redirecting her gaze to the sleeping form of the blonde girl. "Is it okay if I come in?"

"No."

The brunette frowned. "Please, I need to get some things off my chest."

Wendy scowled at her, shaking her head. When Parker stayed by the door, she sighed and finally let the brunette in. Parker smiled and quietly came over and sat on the bed. Glancing down at Bebe, she frowned again and rubbed the spot on her head where it split open earlier.

"I just wanted to apologize to her for earlier. I don't exactly know what I did wrong, but…well, I just feel I should say sorry." She sighed, feeling a little better, and turned back to Wendy. "I feel bad that she likes me and I can't like her back, you know?"

"It's because you're gay for Kenny," Wendy deadpanned. "I have no problem with that, but don't you think it's time to move on?"

Parker's face flushed and she gave Wendy a rather mean look. "I wasn't GAY for Kenny, Wendy."

"Then what do you call it?" the black-haired girl prompted.

The brunette looked away, face increasing in red color. "N-Nevermind. Look, I just came up here to make sure Bebe's okay. She still pissed at me?"

Wendy nodded. "I think it's mostly the alcohol talking, but still, it might be best if you two stay away from each other for a while."

"Yeah…" Parker smiled a little, feeling a little better at least. Just as she was about to bid Wendy a good-night, she caught sight of something outside the window. She paled, and told herself over and over that it was nothing. Still, the tapping on the window didn't help, and neither did the two blackened eyes staring in. The brunette's eyes squeezed shut and she whispered over and over to herself that it wasn't real, it wasn't real, it wasn't real. Her eyes nervously opened again, but he still looked in, smiling that horrible sharp smile that made her heart stop. Her headphones screamed static from around her neck, causing her hands to fly up and cover them with a whimper. "No, please…not here…!"

The black-haired girl stared at her nervously. "What's going on? What's wrong with you?"

Parker couldn't tear her gaze away from the monster outside the window. "Wendy," she croaked, "take Bebe and get out of here. Now!"

"W-Why?"

"JUST DO IT!"

Too late. He broke through the glass and smiled wider, taking in Parker's and now Wendy's fear. The raven-haired girl screamed and ran for the door, only to be pulled back hard by Kenny's impossibly long arm. He picked her up by the arm and snarled at her, laughing at her fear. Tears were running wild down her pale face by now, and she was too scared to even scream. Her gaze was locked with Kenny's, unable to look away in crippling fear that something would happen if she did. The blonde monster laughed again and brought his other hand up to her stomach.

"DON'T!"

Kenny glanced at Parker, tears streaming down her cheeks and whole body shaking, and snickered. "Stan's not the only one protecting you, my love," he said. He looked back to the terrified girl in his grasp and jammed a sharp finger into her stomach and dragged upward, slicing her skin open. She let out an excruciating scream, instantly waking Bebe. When said girl looked up toward the sound, she was drenched in a downpour of blood. It took her a second to realize this was real, and her eyes widened in unimaginable horror.

Parker, despite her intense fear, grabbed Bebe and pulled her toward the door. However, Kenny's laughter stopped suddenly and the door slammed shut. When the brunette tried to wrench it open, it wouldn't budge. "Fuck, fuck, fuck…! Why isn't it opening?"

"Parker," Kenny purred, smiling. "Why are you running away? Are you not happy?"

"W-What is that thing?" Bebe asked, crying.

Kenny chuckled and tossed Wendy aside. She landed with a sickening sound of wet organs smacking wall and floor. "Forgotten me already, Bebe? We went to school together practically since the sandbox. I always hung around with Stan and Kyle and Cartman. Remember?"

Bebe's eyes widened in sudden realization. "K-K-Kenny…?"

The blonde creature grinned wide, sharp teeth gleaming. "That's right. And guess what? I know what you did to Parker tonight…" In a blur, the terrified girl was held up in the air by her throat, struggling to break free. Kenny snickered and squeezed her neck tighter, murder glowing bright in the shaking red orb in his eye. "I don't appreciate you throwing yourself at my princess, Bebe. She's MINE!" He gave her one last hard squeeze before dropping her to the floor and pinning her down with his many extra limbs. "And that's the way…it's going…to stay!" In one swift motion, he cut her at the bends of her elbows, slicing through the muscle and tendons and going straight to the bone. She screamed in agony, blood gushing everywhere and forming a puddle in the carpet.

Parker covered her mouth in horror, trying not to vomit at the gruesome display. Bebe's screams rang through the room, her eyes screwed shut and leaking tears, desperately praying that this was just a bad trip on some drug someone slipped into her drink. Kenny licked his lips, thoroughly enjoying himself and killing the girl below him slowly and cruelly. Her blood was everywhere, and still rapidly flowing from her arms. Soon her screams and sobs were fading, and just like that, all sounds stopped completely and the only thing left was the deafening silence ringing through Parker's ears loud enough to burst her eardrums. She stared, disgusted and utterly petrified, at Bebe's sliced corpse, then over at Wendy's, whose organs had fallen out onto the floor. Finally she stared up at Kenny. He was smiling at her, unaware of the blood sprayed on his cheek.

"I will always protect you," he whispered. "I love you, Parker." He straightened himself and strode up to the almost catatonic brunette, took her hand, and gently kissed it like a gentleman. A murderous, blood-spattered, evil gentleman. "I will wait for you, always~" One last smile and he was back at the window, leaping out and into the unknowing night.

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><p>Stan looked around and checked his phone. No new messages, no missed calls, nothing. He was starting to worry about Parker and why she hadn't come back down yet. Maybe Wendy and Bebe were really giving her an earful? Either way, he decided maybe it was best to find Cartman and get out of there before another incident with Bebe occurred. He pushed his way past countless teens and checked everywhere, and finally found the fat boy in the kitchen, talking to a few girls. Figures. Quickly he made his way up to the flirty boy and tugged on his arm.<p>

"Cartman," he said loudly over the music, "come on, dude! We're going to find Parker and head home!"

"Why?" Cartman asked, raising a brow.

"Because I'm getting tired, and I'd rather not pass out where I can get puked on!"

The fat teen rolled his eyes and said farewell to the ladies before following Stan back out into the living room and up the stairs. Kids were giving them weird looks, but neither cared enough to explain; they just wanted to leave. Finally they reached Bebe's bedroom door and turned the knob and pushed. Strangely, the door wouldn't open, like it was blocked from the inside. Stan sighed and tried again, but got no farther than the first try. Cartman laughed and pushed Stan aside, and gave a great shove. The door flew open and the two walked inside, and gaped in horror at the scene in front of them. Bebe's mangled corpse lay on the floor, sliced deeply at the elbows and eyes glazed over and lifeless. Wendy's body, to Stan's revulsion, was crumpled not too far away with her organs all fallen out and the very bottom of her ribcage showing through the carve in her stomach. The two boys hunched over and threw up violently, and the smell absolutely did not help. They noticed the broken window and exchanged a terrified look. Only one person could have done this.

Sobbing echoed quietly from the personal bathroom on the other side of the room. That couldn't be good. Stan tiptoed to the door, trying not to let his eyes wander to the dead bodies on the floor, and knocked; the sobbing only got louder. He frowned, tears of his own rolling down his face, and called in to Parker. She cried harder and told him to kill her. His eyes widened in fear and he opened the door without warning. What he saw inside made him fall deathly silent: Parker sat half-naked on the cold tiled floor, fingers covered in blood and hiding her face to muffle the sobs, and blood leaking down the top of her thigh and pooling around the razorblade at her foot. Stan didn't know whether to smack her, hug her, or cry on the floor with her.

"P-Parker…" He took a shaky breath and took a step back. "What happened…?"

"Kill me…Stan…"She lowered her hands from her face and looked up at the noirette with wide, crying, blood-smeared eyes. Stan cringed when he realized the razorblade bit through her fingers and drew a vast amount of the red liquid. "Please, Stan…please…k-kill me…"

"Don't…" Stan choked back a sob and stepped forward, grabbed her hands, and pulled her up to her feet. Her hip bled horribly. Carved into it was a circle with an X through it. The raven-haired teen stared at it, then up at her. Horrified tears fell from his eyes, hot and heavy, and he hugged her tight, not caring that her blood was seeping into his clothes. When she told him she wanted to die and couldn't handle any of this anymore, he finally sobbed loud and held her tighter, trembling. He was scared.

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><p>I hate moments like those : Buckle up, kids; it's about to get sadder. As always, be kind and leave a review~


	38. Chapter 38

Ugh, sorry it's taking so long guys! Things have gotten a little hectic lately, so thanks for being so patient. :D This chapter's a little short, but the next one will pick up and be more exciting, I promise! Until then, enjoy! :)

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><p>"Dude, call an ambulance," Stan choked out between sobs. "This has gone way too far."<p>

Cartman nodded and pulled out his cell phone. Just as he was about to dial the number, a wail from Parker made him jump and nearly drop the phone.

"NO! P-PLEASE!" She clutched Stan's shirt tighter and her knees gave way, sending her crashing back to the floor and nearly taking the raven-haired boy with her. He kneeled and rubbed her back, giving her a confused look. "They…They can't know w-what happened here…please!"

Stan frowned, heartbroken at her current condition. "Parker, we have to get you to the hospital. Plus, we can't just leave Wendy and Bebe here like…that." He took a look at the girls' bodies and hunched away from the sobbing brunette, not wanting to accidentally puke on her.

The fat teen nodded solemnly. He didn't want the little brunette to be so scared and sad, but he didn't want to just leave everything the way it was. A sudden thought came to him: even if they did call an ambulance, how would they be able to get the girls into the vehicle and explain what happened without the three of them looking like murderers? The one who would take the most heat, he knew, would be Parker. People have been on her case nonstop since Tweek's death. There was no way she'd be able to go through that again, especially in her current state. With a sigh, he slipped the phone back into his pocket and made his way over to the crying girl and Stan, and sat on his knees beside them and whispered words of encouragement to her. He gave Stan a sad look, and the noirette returned it not a second later. They knew what had to be done.

"G-Guys…?"

The two looked down, unsmiling. "Yes, Parker?"

She looked up at them, eyes red and puffy and stained with tears and blood. "D-Do you guys h-hate me…?"

Stan was stunned. "What? No! We could never hate you, Parker!"

"Yeah, we love you more than anything," Cartman replied, giving her a hurt look. "Why would you think we hate you?"

The brunette was silent. She looked down to the floor, more tears rolling down her cheeks, and shook with the force of her repressed sobs. "I-I brought this…this curse with me…and I…" She sighed shakily and curled up, screwing her eyes shut. "And he's k-killing everyone in South Park…! They won't stop until I'm…until I'm d-dead!"

The boys were heartbroken. They'd never seen their friend act this way before, and they were scared for her. Carman and Stan exchanged a look, silently conversing without a single word, and nodded. Slowly they helped Parker up to her feet, balanced her while they slipped her pants on, and held her arms up over her head to pull her shirt on. Once the two got her all dressed, they quickly pulled her toward the door and shut it tight behind them, taking one last look inside at the dead girls inside. As bad as it hurt them, there was nothing they could do for them. The three went back downstairs as nonchalantly as possible (with the exception of Parker's stifled sobs, of course, but she was trying to play it cool) and spotted the front door. Almost in the clear, Stan and Cartman realized with a smile. Just as the noirette's fingers touched the handle, a hand clamped down on his shoulder, making his stomach drop in dread. Were they found out already? He turned to find Red staring him down, looking worried.

"Stan, have you seen Wendy and Bebe? I can't find them anywhere!"

He glanced at Cartman out of the corner of his eye. The fat teen shook his head oh-so-slightly, and Stan shrugged. "Uh, I don't know, Red. Last I heard, they were in the kitchen." He looked around, pretending to look for the missing girls. "Maybe they're mingling? Or even outside in the backyard?"

Red gave him a skeptical look, but finally smiled a little and nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right. Thanks Stan!" She turned and made a bee-line for the kitchen, eager to check the backyard for her friends. Stan, Parker, and Cartman used this to slip away from the party and run back home.

The night air was cool, and felt like it was growing colder by the second. Stan and Cartman kept their eyes on the street ahead of them, worried that the police would find out what happened and arrest them. Parker, on the other hand, was in a panic over something besides the police; she was keeping her eyes out for Slender Kenny. There was no doubt in her mind that he was out there, watching her from the shadows with an evil, bloodthirsty grin on his colorless face. Her hip stung terribly from her carving, and running like this in tight jeans wasn't helping in the least. It was okay, though; it reminded her that was she was still alive…for now. The trio hurried past different streets, ducked behind houses when a noise was heard, and kept as quiet as possible. Cartman was running out of breath, but not once did he complain. He knew now wasn't the time. Stan's fingers were entwined with Parker's as he pulled them along in the dark, keeping alert for anything or anyone out on the streets. They were halfway across town. Almost home. Stan and Cartman grinned at the fact, but the panicking brunette could care less until they were physically inside the house. Behind them a twig snapped, echoing through the night air. Parker nearly screamed, until the boys each covered her mouth with their free hands. They ran faster, hearts racing and fear rising. A gust of icy wind blew past them and more snapping of twigs. Sinister laughter, just barely above a whisper, rang through the deserted streets, sending the friends' fear on high alert. Finally they reached Stan's street, and bolted up to the house. After a minute of fumbling with his keys (and nearly dropping them out of pure terror when that damned laughter hit his eardrums again), he finally opened the door and let the other two sprint inside before slamming the door shut behind himself and locking it up tight. They were safe now.

"Okay…I-I think we should be alright now," Stan said, staring at the front door with wide, frightened eyes. It was as if he were expecting something to break it down, but thankfully, nothing did. He let out a relieved sigh and dumped himself on the couch. Although they weren't completely out of the woods just yet, one problem was taken care of. Now all the had to worry about was –

His cell phone buzzed and vibrated in his back pocket, making him jump. Quickly he pulled it out and looked at the Caller ID. It was Red. "Uh-oh," he mumbled. He gulped nervously and hit the answer button, and held the phone up to his ear. "Hello?"

"STAN, IT'S HORRIBLE! THEY'RE DEAD! THEY'RE BOTH DEAD!"

The fat teen and the frightened brunette stared at him, knowing what was happening. They frowned and turned away, leaving Stan to talk to her in some privacy. Stan's stomach felt like it dropped out his butt, but he remained as calm as he could and feigned ignorance.

"What are you talking about?"

"Bebe and Wendy! They're both dead, Stan! I-I came up to check and see if they were in Bebe's room, and when I opened the door, I..." He winced when he heard her retching in the background, and the sound of something hitting water. She must have been in the bathroom, making friends with the toilet. "Stan, I don't know how this happened! Please, you have to help me!"

"Red, listen…I don't think there's much we can do if they're gone. I'm sorry…"

The girl on the other end of the line was in hysterics now, sobbing loudly nearly to the point of screaming. The noirette felt terrible, but there really was nothing much he could do now. He wished more than anything to bring the girls back to life, but he knew that would never happen. It couldn't happen. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, guilt eating away at his insides. Should he tell the truth, or keep playing dumb?

"It was…It was Parker, wasn't it Stan?"

The noirette nearly dropped the phone. How could she even say that? "What? No! How could you think he'd do that to them?"

"Face it Stan; he's killed off your best friend off, he's probably responsible for Kenny disappearing, and he put Craig in the hospital. Last I heard, he's missing an arm! Tell me that would have happened without the new kid around, Stan! I dare you!"

"HE'S NOT RESPONSIBLE RED, AND YOU KNOW IT! HE WOULDN'T HURT A FLY!" Stan could see Parker huddled against a wall out of his peripheral vision, staring at him with wide, frightened eyes. Damn, he hated scaring her. In a calmer tone, he said into the phone, "I know it might look bad, Red, but trust me; he's innocent. Why can't you just trust me on this?"

On the other end, Red sighed. "Face it Stan; there's too much evidence against him at this point. He should have moved to another town from the very beginning. Now it's only gonna be worse for him."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You'll find out soon enough Stan." The dial tone rang through his ears uncomfortably as he realized she hung up on him. Scowling, he hung up his own phone and chucked clear across the room, feeling a tiny twinge of pleasure when the cellular device cracked and fell to the floor. He let out another sigh and stared at the ready-to-cry Parker, thinking of a plan to keep her safe from Red. Forcing a smile, he patted his lap in an invitation for her to come sit with him. Almost reluctantly she obliged, and Stan had her rest with her head against his chest. He smiled and petted her hair, staring off into space.

"S-Stan…?"

He looked down at her, eyebrows raised slightly. "Hm?"

"I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

The raven-haired teen frowned. His heart hurt when she said that. Hugging her tight, he whispered, "No, you're not in trouble, kiddo. I'll make sure of that."

Cartman looked at him, already knowing where the phone conversation went. He frowned at Stan, who returned it out of Parker's line of vision, and waited until she fell asleep to talk about it. Not even an hour passed when the brunette had passed out. The smallest grin spread over Stan's face as he picked her up and gingerly carried her upstairs to his room bridal-style. He set her on the bed and covered her with a small blanket, and hesitated a moment before leaning down to softly kiss her forehead. Afterwards he went back downstairs and joined to fat boy on the couch. They were worried, to put it simply. Cartman turned to look at him, and Stan nodded.

"I think Red's planning to hurt Parker," he stated grimly.

"What will we do about it?"

Stan thought a moment, trying to put the pieces together in his mind. "We'll tell her to stay home. School's nearly over, so if we can just get her out of harm's way for even one day…"

Cartman nodded. "Yeah. When do you think Red will attack?"

"Most likely Monday…"

"But…wait, that's tomorrow!"

Stan hunched over and held his face in his hands. His nerves were frayed at the very thought. "Dude, we have to make sure she stays here. There's no other way."

* * *

><p>Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! The alarm clock rang through the small bedroom, startling Parker out of a decent night's rest. She rubbed her eyes tiredly and glanced over to the clock, reading the time as quarter to seven. She started to panic, wondering who'd been messing with her things, when she quickly realized she wasn't in her own bedroom. She was in Stan's. Recollection of the previous night flooded her foggy mind, and she nodded with a crestfallen look on her face. She wasn't looking forward to going to school today. She knew everyone at the party last night probably found out about Wendy and Bebe, and there was no doubt in her mind that they would come after her. Tiredly she looked around, noticing that Stan and Cartman were nowhere to be found. Her heart stopped as she feared the worst, and nearly screamed when a figure stood in the doorway; when the light revealed it was only Stan, unharmed, she let out a relieved sigh and grinned.<p>

"Morning," she greeted tiredly. She swung her legs off the bed and stretched before rising to her feet, giving Stan a little smile. When he didn't return it, however, she tilted her head curiously. "What's wrong?"

"You can't go to school today," the noirette replied. "None of us can. Cartman and I thing Red's up to something, and we don't wanna risk you getting hurt. So…come with us today, okay?"

The brunette raised a brow, but didn't argue. She nodded and excused herself to shower, and came back minutes later wrapped in a towel. Stan couldn't help the blush dusting his cheeks, and told her to come down when she was all done. He quickly descended the stairs and was surprised to see Cartman awake and eating poptarts, but smiled anyway and went into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of orange juice. Then he went back out to the living room to sit with Cartman until Parker was ready.

"So," the fat boy said between bites, "what's the plan, Stan?"

Stan chuckled. "Simple." He took a long drink of his juice and stared at the television set. "We avoid getting caught."

* * *

><p>Yes, rather short. But! Like I said, things will get more exciting in the next chapter. Got some new music to inspire me muahaha! As always, reviews are loved and appreciated :D<p> 


	39. Chapter 39

Stan, Cartman, and Parker slipped their shoes on and grabbed their backpacks, and called a goodbye to Stan's parents before walking out the door. They walked along in silence, the noirette and the fat teen giving each other worried looks over Parker's head. The two knew this wouldn't be easy, especially since most kids from school walked. If they were lucky, then maybe nobody would notice them turn tail and run from school grounds; in any case, it was worth a shot. Silence hung in the air and hurt Parker's ears, and soon they were near the high school. Cartman gave Stan a look, Stan nodded, and whispered to Parker to get ready.

"Huh?" She looked at him, confused. "Ready for what?"

"We can't let you go to school today," Stan whispered, looking around. "People think you killed Bebe and Wendy last night, and we can't risk you getting hurt. Just follow our lead, okay?"

The brunette's face fell with sadness at the news, but nodded. Cartman quickly scanned the area and, seeing the coast was clear, waved Stan and Parker down before running off. Stan followed suit, running like hell to get to the other side of the grounds. The brunette ran after him, fear rising that she'll be left behind if she's too slow. Closer and closer she got, until she realized they all had to climb a tall fence. She looked to Stan helplessly, but he was already halfway up. This she couldn't do.

"Stan!"

He looked down and saw Parker staring up with sad, lost eyes, and looked around; they were still safe for now. "It's okay Parker; just put your feet in the holes in the fence and climb up!"

"Isn't there any other way?"

Stan shook his head with a frown. "I'm afraid not, no! It's okay, Parker; I'll be right here!"

The girl bit her lip, but raised her foot to the fence. She gripped the metal above her tightly and pulled herself up, raising her other foot and jamming it into another slot. A smile crossed her lips when she realized she was actually climbing the fence, and beamed up at Stan. He smiled back at her and waited up at the top until she made it up. They were really going to do this; they would really run away from school together, even if just for today, just the three of them. He leaned down and reached a hand out.

"Oh shit! Stan, look!"

Stan looked up and swore under his breath. The principal was coming, and she didn't look happy. Taking a risk and leaning down more, he made a wild, frantic grab for Parker's hand. She crawled up quickly and reached for Stan, but felt long nails digging painfully into her leg before pulling her down, causing her to land hard on her back. Even though the backpack broke her fall, it did little to do so comfortably. Looking up timidly, she met eyes with the fuming principal, and quickly looked back to Stan and Cartman. Too late, they were already running out of vision. The brunette could feel tears stinging her eyes as she realized they'd abandoned her. Once she swore she saw Stan's figure stop and turn, but that could have just been her imagination.

"Honestly, young man! Skipping school!" The woman yanked her up painfully by her upper arm, and dragged her into the school herself, ranting and threatening detentions all the way in. Other kids rapidly took notice, and some even stopped to watch the show unfold, including one Red with a spiteful grin. Parker's gaze fell to the floor. "You're lucky if you don't get suspended for this, mister. But…I know when I was your age, I did my share of crazy things."

The brunette looked up, confused by the sudden change of tone. "Wait, are you letting me go?"

She grinned. "Oh, you wish. No, you'll be assigned to write a paper explaining why you were going to skip today, in no less than one thousand words, due tomorrow."

"What!"

"If I were you, I'd start working on that right away. Now get to class or you'll be late," the woman said, shooing Parker away. Parker scowled at her and got up, slamming the door shut when she exited the office.

* * *

><p>Stan and Cartman continued running until they were sure they would be safe. They finally stopped and gasped for breath, having run so far so quickly. Stan looked back toward the school and frowned; he felt horrible for just leaving Parker like that. It felt like he'd betrayed her trust and completely abandoned her when she needed him most. A shaky sigh escaped his lips before he realized his hands were shaking as well. He had to go back. His feet began moving forward before he was quickly grabbed around the wrist and effectively stopped.<p>

"Dude, what are you doing?" Cartman asked.

"I have to go back, Cartman. I-I have to be there for her."

The fat teen raised a brow at the tone his friend spoke in, but otherwise kept his hold on him. "No man; we can't go back. It's too late now."

"Why?"

"Because if we go back, everyone will think we're just as guilty as Parker is for last night. I dunno about you, but I don't feel like facing the other assholes there and their accusations. Plus, we'd be in deep shit with the principal and the teachers for cutting class in the first place."

Stan turned around to face him, completely speechless. How could Cartman say all of this? This was their friend they were talking about, and he seemed more worried about what would happen to himself if he showed his face at school again! She was the one most in danger here, and whether Cartman wanted to admit it or not, Stan was going back for her. He ripped his arm out of the fat boy's grip and gave him his most venomous glare before trudging back to the school, leaving Cartman standing shocked and angry.

* * *

><p>The brunette sat in math class, headphones on and blasting music, trying to write the stupid essay the principal gave her. 'That bitch,' she thought bitterly. She wrote down a sentence, trying to distract the reader to another topic, but quickly erased it in fear the principal would see past her scheme. She sighed heavily and let her head hit the desk, ignoring the odd stares from around the room. At least she was being left alone, so she was thankful for that. Raising her head again and staring down at the paper, she began writing, explaining why she was trying to skip school. Of course, she didn't include any details from the previous night, and stuck strictly to the basic outline that she was worried other kids would attack her after school. A few more lines of filler, trying to make it look important to the story, and she counted her words: nearly two-hundred. So far, so good.<p>

A tap on her shoulder brought her out of her focus. She looked up to see Token staring down at her with a frown, and removed her headphones and turned the music off. "What's up?" she asked.

"Bell rang," he replied simply, albeit a little sadly.

"Oh, right. Thanks, man." Parker gathered her things and stood, noticing the dread-headed boy hadn't moved an inch. She furrowed her brows questioningly at him, to which he just shook his head and walked out of the classroom, eyes staring down at the floor in sadness. Sensing something was wrong, Parker ran after him, and finally caught up to him in the hall. She ran in front of him, stopping him, and looked into his sad eyes. "Hey, what's wrong?"

He rubbed his arm with his free hand, and looked around. "I heard about what happened last night…at Bebe's place."

Her gaze lowered, and she felt eyes on her. A lot of eyes. Whispers floated around, most hushed conversations including her name as well as a few unpleasant words; "killer" and "murdered" being two of the top words. Token tipped her chin up to meet his eyes and frowned.

"I don't think you did it," he whispered, unsmiling. "You seem too nice to do that…"

"Explain that to everyone else, though," she mumbled, hearing a group of girls whisper her name and recount what they heard from a friend. "Anyway, thanks for believing me, Token. You and Stan and Cartman are the only ones that do anymore." She looked at him before hugging him tight, catching him slightly off-guard, and he hugged her back, patting her shoulder. "I'll see you around," she said before turning to go to her next class.

Token watched her leave, and sighed. "Poor kid…"

The brunette shuffled into her science class, and was met with glares and hushed whispers. She took her seat beside Butters and got back to work on her essay, trying her hardest to ignore the mean whispers floating around her and the empty seats in front of her. She glanced up, realizing that those seats would never be filled again. Her eyes watered up and reluctantly she removed her glasses, and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Damn, the truth hurt.

"H-Hey Parker, are you alright?" Butters asked worriedly. He'd never seen her cry before, and frankly, it frightened him.

The brunette sniffled quietly and shook her head. "No, Butters…I'm not okay…"

"What's wrong?"

"They're gone…it feels like half this town is six feet under because of me…" She sighed shakily, nearly letting out a sob, and slipped her glasses back on. "Excuse me." She ran out of the classroom, leaving everyone staring in surprise after her. She didn't care; she had to get away. She ran and ran until finally she reached the boys' bathroom. Shoving the door open, she rushed inside and locked herself in a stall, brought her knees up to her chest, and cried on the floor against the door. It hurt so much inside; she didn't know how much more of it she could take.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Ah! G-Go away!"

Knock, knock, knock.

"I said beat it! Ocupado!"

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Outraged, Parker pulled herself together long enough to get off the floor, unlock the door, and throw it open to beat someone senseless. To her surprise, nobody was there. Her hair stood on end, but she ignored it as best as she could and walked toward the sinks. Gazing at her reflection, she noticed just how red her eyes were from crying so hard. Too bad she didn't have eye drops, or even a little eyeliner; they would distract people from the red tint. Running the tap, she took off her glasses and leaned down, and splashed the water against her face to hopefully make the red fade slightly. It felt nice against her skin, cool water soothing her red and warm face, giving her a pleasant alternative to feeling as bad as she looked. She reached blindly toward the paper towel dispenser, pulled out a few sheets, and patted her face dry with a heavy sigh. How would she explain this to everyone?

"Parker…"

The brunette pulled the paper away from her face and spun around, nearly tumbling over her own foot. Behind her, standing tall and menacing, was none other than Slender Kenny. Remnant blood still stained his pale fingers and cheek, as if they were his disturbing medal of victory in battle. Her skin prickled and she backed away, pressing herself flush against the cold bathroom wall. The bloodied blonde smirked. His one unnerving red orb was focused intently on her, vibrating in place. Parker hoped he couldn't read minds, because she was thinking of so many horrible things she'd like to do to that little red orb.

"You don't look so good, princess…"

Fear strangled her vocal chords, but she managed to choke out a barely-audible, "D-Don't call me that…!"

The blonde laughed. The sound was a thousand times worse than nails on a chalkboard, and Parker swore her ears were bleeding. "Let me cure you, darling. You could use a rest, no?"

"…No…"

He smirked again, wider this time. "I know about the others…they believe you killed Wendy and Bebe…" A long arm reached out, fingers stretching to stroke the brunette's cheek. "They want to hurt you, Parker. And they're planning on it today."

Parker froze up, staring Kenny in the eyes. "How did - "

"I'm your protector remember?" Kenny chuckled darkly, sending chills up the brunette's spine. "I have to protect my love, whatever the cost…even if she doesn't love me back…"

"Way to make me sound like a bitch," Parker mumbled, looking away in shame. She felt herself being lifted around the middle, and instantly began thrashing around in the blonde monster's hold. He didn't let go; instead, he held her close in a tight embrace, running his sharp fingers through her hair. He was careful not to hurt her. She couldn't help the weird feelings building up within her, and looked away once again.

"I will always protect you, Parker…"

The brunette wasn't sure how to feel anymore. "I-I can protect myself just fine," she snapped, not meeting Kenny's eyes.

The blonde cocked a brow and pulled her away, staring at her with a mischievous expression. "Oh? So you can protect yourself from this?" Sharp points dug painfully into the back of the girl's head, causing her to cry out in pain and thrash about, yanking her head away from the offending weapons only to feel them claw deeper. She screamed and kicked wildly, landing a hard blow against the blonde's arm. He laughed that horrible laugh again, adjusted his grip to rest around her neck, and squeezed her throat tight in one hand while slowly withdrawing his fingers from her skull to instead aim lower toward her stomach. He looked into her panicking eyes, wide and brimming with pleading tears, and grinned with teeth showing as he jammed one long, ungodly sharp finger into her abdomen. She screamed in agony before her world turned to black.

* * *

><p>"Is he okay?"<p>

"Oh dear, I'm afraid he did some pretty bad damage to himself…tell me, has he ever done this before?"

Stan stared down at the unconscious brunette and felt his eyes sting with unshed tears. He remembered last night; the condition he found her in, sobbing hysterically, fingers bitten through and bloody from the razor blade, and the bleeding symbol etched into her hip. He bit his lip and nodded reluctantly, not meeting the school nurse's eyes. "Yeah…yeah, he has. But only once, if that counts for anything…"

She scribbled the information down on her clipboard and told Stan to stay there while she went to look for something to help heal the wound. Once the noirette was left alone with the brunette, he checked that she was gone before making his way to the unconscious Parker and sitting on the chair beside her. He immediately noticed the bloodstains on the pillow sheet, and bit his lip again. He could only imagine the wound on her stomach. Actually, no, he could see for himself. Taking a deep breath, he slowly reached over and pulled her shirt up just high enough to see the damage, and groaned. It looked incredibly painful, and deep as hell. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he examined the gouge in her gut, and finally pulled her shirt back down in fear that he might lose it if he looked any longer.

"How did this happen?" he breathed, hiding his face in his hands.

The nurse returned with gauze bandages and peroxide, and smiled sadly when Stan looked up with tears staining his cheeks. She asked for his help, and the two set to work. Stan carefully lifted Parker's shirt just above the injury and held her body up while the nurse slid the gauze under. She unscrewed the cap to the peroxide and sent Stan to get cotton balls, and when he returned, she soaked a few and gingerly applied them to the deep slice in the teen's abdomen. Parker whimpered, still out cold. No doubt she would be awake and screaming soon, so they had to work fast. The wound was cleaned over and over again, and finally the bandage was wrapped tight around the girl's stomach, held in place with a small bendable clamp. Stan lowered her shirt and thanked the nurse, and when they were alone again, he took the brunette's hand in his. And he cried.

* * *

><p>Two hours passed before the brunette woke up. Her eyes fluttered open and were greeted with the sterile whiteness of the nurse's office. She groaned and turned her head to the side. When she saw Stan sitting there, watching her with tears in his eyes, she blinked and gave him a sheepish smile.<p>

"Hey," she murmured, head aching.

"What happened?"

"He hurt me."

Stan growled. "Who?"

Parker hesitated and refused to meet his eyes. In a tiny whisper, she said, "…Kenny…"

The noirette looked down at the floor and broke down.

* * *

><p>"So, where's Cartman at?"<p>

"Hell if I know." Stan watched the pencil in Parker's hand fly over the paper, thinking to himself how amazing it was that people write faster when a deadline is just around the corner. "I told him this morning that I couldn't leave you behind like that, so I came back without him. For all I know, he could be at home right now."

"Oh," came Parker's simple comment. She hissed in pain when she leaned forward, and quickly leaned against the back of the chair in an attempt to get the burning in her stomach to subside. She'd explained everything that had happened earlier to Stan, and after a while of trying to wrap his mind around it, he decided to retrieve her books and papers so she could finish her essay to the principal. He curiously asked what she wrote, and she told him that she would only put the basics, and not go into backstory at all. The noirette agreed that that would be best. Parker was nearly finished with the paper by now, coming up to a little over nine hundred words. Stan looked up at the clock and noticed it was nearly time to go home.

"I'm dreading it too…"

He looked back to her, surprised. "Uh, yeah…hey, Parker?"

She turned to look at him, eyebrows raised. "Yeah?"

"I…well…" He sighed and leaned down and wrapped his arms gently around her shoulders and rested his chin on the top of her head. "I'm sorry…" He shook slightly, silently letting tears roll down his cheeks. "I won't leave you like that again. I'll be there for you, through it all. I promise."

Parker was surprised, but smiled sweetly. "Thank you, Stan…"

He closed his eyes, smiling despite the tears. "Anytime, dude…"

They stayed this way for a while, until the final bell rang for everyone to go home. Stan sighed and looked down at Parker: she was looking up at him, smiling. He couldn't hold back his own smile from growing wider. He helped her carry her things and together they headed out of the nurse's office, bidding the sweet woman a goodbye. They pushed past the other kids in the hallway until they reached the brunette's locker, and when Parker pulled it out and shut the door, Stan loaded her papers and books inside. After it was slung over one of Parker's shoulders, the duo headed out, ready to face the crowd outside. They exited the doors, and were met with furious shouts and screams, and even thrown objects.

"There he is!" one boy shouted, pointing at Parker.

"MURDERER!"

Stan growled and stepped in front of the brunette, acting as a human shield. "Everyone stop! He's innocent!"

Red stepped up from the group, scowling at the noirette. "Get out of the way, Stan. This doesn't involve you, and you know it."

"I'm not moving," Stan said, glaring daggers at the girl before him.

Red sighed. "I didn't wanna have to do this, Stan, but you leave me no choice." She turned and clapped at the crowd. "Hold him down, guys! He's protecting our friends' killer!"

Five boys leapt from the crowd and tackled Stan to the ground, holding him down and overpowering his attempts to throw them off. Each one took an arm and leg, and the final boy held Stan's head down with the bottom of his shoe pressed uncomfortably hard against his temple. Parker looked at him, panic and rage building behind her brown eyes, and screamed at them to let him go. That's when Red reached out and grabbed her hard by the hair, barely missing her head injuries by inches, and threw her down to the furious teens below. They screamed and hollered, and all dragged her to the flagpole, where one girl tied the brunette's hands behind her back and trapping her. Another girl tied her feet together, and even went as far as to tie her knees to the pole, tethering her to her doom. One big burly-looking boy skulked up to her and jammed an old pair of gym shorts in her mouth, silencing her and nearly choking her by pushing them too far back. The students all grinned at her smugly and coldly; this was it.

'Sleep.'

Parker's vision faded into nothingness right before the first punch was thrown. The last thing that registered before she fell unconscious was the sound of Stan's pleading screams.

* * *

><p>Ah, I do enjoy writing sweet moments between Parker and Stan :) A quick note here: Your Guardian Angel by RJA was playing while I wrote the whole nurse's office bit, especially at the end of it. I thought it would be perfect for them and the situation at hand. ^^ Another quick note: Thank you so much to all my reviewers! You guys rock my socks off and keep me motivated to keep writing :D Thanks, y'all!<p> 


	40. Chapter 40

Ugh, sorry it took so long. Well, it hasn't been TOO long but it feels like forever to me ^^ Enjoy, my friends~

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><p>She found herself surrounded by darkness, all alone. The others were gone, as well as all sounds but her own heartbeat going wild in her chest. Cautiously she looked around, curiosity climbing just past her fear, and took an unsure step forward; solid ground. Another step, more solid ground beneath her feet.<p>

"Where am I?" she thought aloud.

"Somewhere safe…"

Goosebumps formed up her arms as she realized who that all-too-familiar voice belonged to. "What did you do now, Kenny?"

The blonde snickered and seemed to materialize in front of Parker. He grinned down at her and held his arms out. "I brought you to the inner sanctum of your mind. You're still asleep right now in the real world."

"Why did you do this?" Parker asked, glaring despite her fear.

Kenny frowned. "Would you rather me leave you awake to feel the pain the others are giving you…?"

Parker fell silent, angry brown eyes never leaving the blonde's unnerving blackened ones. She sighed; she realized this was better than being awake through the beating, but she didn't want to admit it. Suddenly a thought came to her. "So what was the deal in the bathroom earlier?"

"You said you could protect yourself," Kenny retorted, smirking. "I wanted to see if you could prove it, and you didn't."

"Some protector you are," the brunette mumbled bitterly.

The pale blonde snickered and held out a hand to the startled girl. She eyed him suspiciously before finally touching trembling fingers to cold sharp ones. He smiled a genuine smile and gently gripped her shaking hand in his. There was no tension in the air, no looming feeling of danger; only a growing feeling of peace. Kenny leaned down and looked deeply into Parker's eyes, smiling sweetly, and slowly brought their lips together. Parker whimpered and pulled away, only to feel the blonde's other hand push the back of her head close to his face again in another (if somewhat forced) kiss.

"I love you, Parker," Kenny whispered into the kiss, smiling against the brunette's lips. "I always have since the moment I saw you, and I always will until the day you die." He intertwined their fingers together and pressed another kiss to the quiet girl's lips, eyes closed. "You'll never be alone, not as long as I'm still here…"

Parker felt her eyes fill with tears. She was touched, but she didn't feel the same as he felt. She didn't love him. She couldn't love him. And yet…a part of her wanted to. She wished everything could go back to the way it was before the Slender Man turned him into a monster. Her hand squeezed the blonde's, silently begging him not to let go. He might have been right in front of her, but never before had she felt so far away from him.

"Parker…" He pulled away, looking down at her sadly. "Why are you crying?"

She let out a sob, shutting her eyes tight. "I-I just want to start it over…everything…I don't want to live this life anymore…"

Kenny frowned and petted her hair soothingly, trying to calm the sobbing girl. He shushed her softly and kissed the top of her head. "I know, love, I know." His fingers combed through her hair, feeling the silken strands, and he kissed her head again. "Just be patient…"

"I don't want to!" Parker cried. She clutched Kenny's black suit tightly, sobbing into his chest. It broke the blonde monster's heart. "Between Slender Man stalking me all my life and taking my sister and stealing you away from us, and you slaughtering all our friends…I-I just can't take this anymore…!"

The blonde was silent before finally whispering, "If I promise to leave you and everyone else alone, will you promise me you won't do anything stupid…?"

Parker looked up, surprised. "You mean…y-you won't kill anyone anymore?"

"I promise," he replied, "but only if you promise me as well."

She nodded, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand. "I-I promise too."

Kenny smiled another true Kenny smile, and hugged the brunette tight. "Good girl," he purred. Another kiss to the top of her head, and he looked her in the eyes. "Now, I want you to do me a favor…"

"What is it…?"

"Please wake up. Wake up, Parker…wake up…" His voice began to fade, and soon he was vanishing into thin air right before her eyes. She tried to hold him tighter, but to her dismay he was slipping right through her fingers. The pale blonde was swallowed up by the black, and only his echoes remained, however faint they were. Suddenly what she thought was solid ground beneath her feet gave way under her, sending her falling through the abyss. When she tried to grab onto something – anything – she found nothing but air. Her voice failed her, her body wouldn't move, and eventually the world around her began to change. She shut her eyes, screaming at herself inside to wake up, and jolted. When she opened her eyes again, she was in Cartman's arms, being carried bridal-style like she was a fragile porcelain doll. She stared up at him then over at Stan, horrified at the condition he was in. What all happened while she was under?

"Hey sleepyhead," the noirette said, smiling down at her. His fat lip made his smile look weird, she thought.

"Dude…what the hell happened to you?"

Stan chuckled. "It's nothing some ice and sleep can't fix," he replied, avoiding the details. "I'm more worried about you, honestly."

"What, why?"

"You blacked out just before they started attacking you. I think they would have beat you to death if Cartman and I hadn't wrestled those guys off me…"

"Good thing I showed up," Cartman added a little guiltily. "Sorry I left you guys…but I came back and whooped ass to save you both." Surprisingly, there were almost no damages done to the fat teen's figure.

Parker gaped up at the noirette, shocked at his seemingly carefree attitude despite the damage done to him. She pressed him for answers, but he'd just give her a smile and keep walking; this eventually wore on her patience, so instead of bugging him about it she gave him the silent treatment until they finally reached his house. Once there, she demanded he go upstairs and lay in bed, glaring at him when he asked her why. He did as he was told, however, and slunk upstairs to his bedroom, and sat on his bed waiting for whatever Parker was planning to do. Downstairs in the living room, she told Cartman to wait on the couch for them to come down, and rushed upstairs.

"Here…" Stan looked up as she appeared through the doorway balancing a bag of cotton balls and peroxide, and countless bandages. Once she set them in front of Stan's bed, she ran back downstairs and came back moments later holding an ice pack. She tossed it next to his head, sat down on the floor beside his bed, and began cleaning his bruises and cuts. "Thanks for saving me and all," she murmured, sweeping a drenched cotton ball over his swollen black eye, "but that was incredibly stupid of you guys."

Stan's expression was a cross between hurt, anger, and confusion. "Stupid? How? We saved your life!"

"At the risk of losing your own?" Parker shot back, giving him a rather mean look. She gently patted down the raven-haired teen's chest, feeling for any bumps or sore spots. When he hissed beneath her hand, she motioned for him to take his shirt off; he shook his head wildly, cheeks flushing.

"Forget it; I'm not taking my shirt off!"

The brunette sighed. "Fine then; I'll take it off myself!"

He gave her a terrified look. "You wouldn't dare…!"

Parker climbed up on top of Stan and sat in his lap, preventing his escape. "Try me." With that, she launched herself forward and grabbed the hem of the noirette's shirt tightly, not letting go even through his thrashing and struggling. She pulled upwards, growling when Stan tried grabbing her wrists to stop her. In an act of quick thinking, she maneuvered her legs up toward his arms and pinned his hands down near his head with her feet, smirking in victory when he stared at her in terror. A swift yank up and his head was free from the cloth.

"Parker, come on!"

"Don't 'come on' me, Stan! Now hold still, dammit!"

Stan instantly shut his mouth, looking at Parker dumbstruck. Did she hear herself? Regardless if she did or not, she managed to pull the shirt the rest of the way off, freeing his torso from its cotton prison. Quickly he covered himself, embarrassed of his sudden exposure, but it was too late; the brunette had already seen the damage done, and was already at work soaking another cotton ball and grabbing a handful of Band-Aids. All it took was a warning glance from her, and he reluctantly moved his arms away from his chest and stomach. The peroxide burned as it made contact with his gashes, but he managed to bite back a shout and keep his arms at his sides. His injuries were cleaned and covered at last, and Parker finally smiled. Stan was relieved. They heard snickering just outside of the room, and turned to find Cartman standing there, smirking.

"I didn't know you were a rapist, Parker?"

"Oh yes, Cartman, all the time." She rolled her eyes and laughed. "There," she said, grinning back to Stan from his lap. "Now was that so bad?"

"Yes it was, actually," Stan said flatly. "You raped me with acid."

Parker rolled her eyes and chuckled. "You exaggerate." As she moved to climb out of Stan's lap, she felt the noirette's fingers curl around her wrist gently. Confused, she looked up and met his gaze: he wasn't smiling, but he wasn't angry, either. He looked…well, Parker couldn't place it, but it did send a slight spark of fear through her. "What?"

"It's my turn to fix you now."

"But I don't have any - "

Without warning, Stan pulled her shirt up to reveal her stomach wound. The bandages were already soaked through with blood, and countless bruises littered her skin. He reached up with one hand and lightly rubbed just under her left eye, giving her a smug look when she flinched away from the sting of his fingers against a fresh cut. She stuck her tongue out at him and he laughed, asking for the supplies. Cartman chuckled again before taking a seat at Stan's work desk and watching his friends. The three sat like that for a while, Parker in Stan's lap and Stan leaning close to her and cleaning her wounds from the attack at school, and Cartman watching with a little smile. The boys were extremely thankful that they'd managed to save her, even if she was in pretty bad condition. Then again, so were they…well, Stan, at least. A stupid grin tugged at the corners of the noirette's lips, but soon enough the brunette was all patched up and nearly perfect again. All they needed now was rest. And a lot of ice.

The room was filled with Tim McGraw's "My Little Girl" ringtone, prompting a curious look from the noirette and the fat teen. Parker excused herself and crawled off of Stan, and answered her phone. She already knew who it was calling her.

"Hi Dad…yeah, I stayed at Stan's last night…huh? No…wha – DAD!" Parker's cheeks burned as her father laughed on the other end of the line. She glanced at Stan and quickly turned away, embarrassed because of what her dad had just said. "Dad, it's nothing like that! Yes I'm sure! Ugh…I know, Dad…heh, yeah…umm, yeah, I'll home in a bit…okay, I love you too, Dad…alright, see you soon." She hung up and slipped her phone into her pocket, and finally turned back to the guys with a grin. "I gotta get going soon. Listen," she said, walking up and taking a seat next to the raven-haired teen on his bed, "thanks for saving me and making me better today. Both of you." She looked over to Cartman and smiled wide. "I really appreciate it."

The raven-haired teen nodded with a smile. "No problem, dude. What are friends for?"

"Really," the fat teen laughed, nodding. "Anytime you need our help, we'll be there."

Parker sighed happily and leaned against her friend's shoulder. Everything was finally starting to feel normal again…well, as close as normal got in this town. Her eyes slipped closed for a brief moment before flying open again when she felt Stan's arm wrap around her in a one-armed hug. She couldn't stop the smile from growing on her face as she wrapped both of her arms around him, being careful of his cuts and bruises.

"Looks like it's just the three of us now," she half-whispered, more to herself than anything.

"Yeah…" Stan rested his cheek against the top of her head, staring off into space. "It's us against the town, kiddo. We'll prove your innocence and take down that monster." He pressed a soft kiss to her head without realizing it, and slid his hand up to hold hers around his chest. "I swear we'll stay by your side. We'll beat this thing together…"

Parker said nothing, but gently squeezed Stan's hand. A single tear slipped from her eye, rolling down her cheek and landing with a soft 'plip' against her leg. She couldn't hide her smile, and frankly, she didn't want to.

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><p>Hours passed and found the brunette bidding her friends goodnight and goodbye. She stood on Stan's front porch, hugging the two and promising to see them tomorrow at school before waving goodbye to the duo and walking alone toward her house. The streets were empty, much to her relief and displeasure, so that meant more or less a good chance to bump into Tall, Pale, and Faceless. Maybe if she raced home like her life depended on it then he wouldn't catch her? It was worth a shot. Gathering all her courage and taking a deep breath, she sped down the road, never looking back and keeping her senses on high alert. Luckily for her, nothing seemed to be out tonight; no twigs snapping, no menacing laughter, and no surprise attacks. Only a few streets away. She smiled wide, cheering in her head, and finally made it to her own street. Almost home. Two houses away. Finally she reached the doorstep and jammed her key in the lock, and gave a quick twist and shove, and jumped into the safety of fresh light bulbs and the intoxicating smell of fresh apple pie. The door was shut tight, her backpack dropped by the stairway, and her shoes kicked off by the couch before she waltzed to the kitchen and hugged her father hello.<p>

"Hey there, stranger," the blonde man joked, setting the pie down on a cooling rack on the kitchen table. "Did you have fun, sweetie?"

"More or less, yeah." Parker pulled out a seat and dropped herself into it with a sigh. "We had a little problem at school today, but…well, it's fixed for now."

"What kind of problem?" The man did a double-take just as he was about to turn around, gazing down at his daughter's face. His brows furrowed as he tipped her chin upwards to get better light, and gasped. "Parker! What happened? How did you get that slice under your eye?"

The brunette looked away sheepishly. "Uh, well, we kinda got into a fight at school today…"

"You and your friends?"

"No, no! Not them!" Parker assured, waving her hands wildly and laughing. "The other kids at school. They…ah, well they think I've been doing things that I really haven't."

His face went solemn and he took a seat opposite of Parker. He stared at her, holding his chin up with crossed fingers, and asked lowly, "It was him again, wasn't it…?"

The brunette stiffened at her dad's sudden question, but nodded after a short eternity. Her father sighed shakily before getting up, walking over to his frightened daughter, and hugging her tight, whispering that it would be okay. He kissed her on the cheek and forced a smile, not wanting to bring her down any farther than she already was. He pulled down a plate and fork and set them in front of the quiet girl, and cut her a piece of pie with a smile. She hesitated, still thinking about the faceless man, but finally smiled a tiny smile up at her father before digging her fork into the hot treat. The sweet smell of cinnamon and fresh apples danced in the air and wafted into her nostrils, and she smiled slightly wider as she took her first bite. Her father always was the best baker she'd ever known.

"Do you like it?" he asked, watching the girl eat with a smile.

She nodded, taking another bite. "You make the best pies, Dad!" Another bite and another smile, wiggling her feet under the table like an excited child. "Thanks! What's the occasion?"

"Well, it's been a long time since I made sweets from scratch," he replied, chuckling. "I just thought we could both use something to make us a little sweeter. Don't you agree, kiddo?"

"Absolutely," the brunette agreed, nodding. She swallowed the last bite of apple pie and hummed, smiling and giggling happily. Times like this brought her back to her childhood, before times got hard and people started disappearing. Parker remembered the time she and her sister had come home from preschool and found a plate of homemade chocolate chip cookies waiting for them on the table, fresh out of the oven. Their father just smiled and sat with them at the table, and the three of them ate cookies with ice-cold milk for dunking. Those were happier times. She smiled and thanked her dad with a great hug and kiss, and bid him goodnight before retiring up to her room. She walked up the stairs, her heart growing heavy with each step, and finally shut the bedroom door behind her, walked to her bed, and fell face-first onto it, crying quietly into her blanket. She wished for her old life back.

"I'm sorry, Sophie…" She sniffled and clutched the blankets tightly, body trembling and her sobs muffled. "I'm so s-sorry…"

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><p>That night found the brunette sleeping peacefully – a rare occurrence indeed! Nightmares hid in the shadows and the monsters stayed away, and for once in a long while Parker actually had a pleasant night's sleep. She awoke the next morning as per usual, showered, and readied herself for school, all without so much as a whisper from her phone. Just to double-check, she held her headphones up to her ears: completely silent. She smiled, impressed that Kenny was keeping with his promise; especially after the attack just the day before. An unpleasant feeling grew in the pit of her stomach, and she knew it would only be so long until he went back on his word and hurt those who had hurt her. She shook away her bad thoughts and texted Cartman and Stan, letting them know she'd meet them up by Stark's Pond so they could walk together. When they texted her back minutes later, she smiled and put the finishing touches to her outfit before heading out into the morning light.<p>

'School won't be easy today,' she thought to herself, silently walking down the street. 'At least my friends will be here today. I know they'll keep me safe.' The sun shone bright, shining down on her as if trying to brighten her mood. The brunette let out a chuckle and stretched her arms high in the air, trembling slightly as her body tingled. A split second passed where unbearable pain surged through her gut like a live wire, but once her arms were back at her sides, the pain had passed. She had to remember not to stress it, or else it would hurt a lot longer than three seconds. For a moment she entertained the thought of running home and grabbing the bottle of high-dose ibuprofen, but waved it away not too long after. She'd be fine.

Red eyes watched her from the shadows, narrowing dangerously as she got closer to the pond. The brunette sighed and looked around; she was completely unaware. A sinister smile grew, insane and disturbing, and hushed snickering floated into the air. Any second now…

Parker stopped suddenly. Was that…did she just hear something? Looking around cautiously, her guard went up like a brick wall. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught movement within the trees. That can't be good. Carefully, she stepped closer and closer, staying just far enough not to be ambushed by whatever – or whoever – was hiding, waiting for her to wander in, and called out a warning angrily.

"Whoever's in there, just stay in the shadows!" She jumped back, startled by a snap of a twig and low snickering. Her skin felt itchy and crawly, but she stood her ground and refused to show fear. "I'm not afraid of you! And I won't hold back, either!"

The evil grin spread wider and the eerie soft snickering rose to a crazy laugh, making Parker's heart stop for a brief moment. "Are you so sure…?"

"Who is it?"

More terrifying laughter boomed through the air, loud enough to shake the trees. The brunette was starting to panic inside. "You mean you don't remember, Parker?"

She growled and stomped forward, anger rising to dangerous levels. "FUCKING SHOW YOUR FACE, YOU FUCKING COWARD!"

"Parker?"

The brunette turned her head and saw Stan and Cartman jogging up, confusion painted on their faces. She nodded at them before turning back to the trees, only to find that the voice and the person behind it were gone. Dammit, they must think she lost her marbles. She let out a heavy sigh and slowly made her way over to her friends, apologizing and explaining to the confused boys. They understood and reassured her that it was fine before the three of them began walking to their school. Parker took one last look back at the trees; she knew she wasn't imagining it, there was someone there. She knew it.

The day went about as well as the trio expected: everyone gave them dirty looks and hurtful words, and some even went as far as to physically hit them when teachers weren't looking. Parker stopped in and delivered her essay to the principal before class, and rolled her eyes when she tried demanding that the brunette show up early every morning. Like she didn't do that before? Her classes were a bit exhausting and a strain on her frayed nerves since she didn't have the noirette or the fat teen in any of them (besides gym), but the few kids who didn't hate her were there for her when things started getting rough. Token lent her an ear in math class and offered support, Butters lifted her spirits in science class and even managed to make her crack a smile by acting silly, and until the last class of the day rolled around Stan and Cartman would find her in the hallways and give her a quick hug or tell her to stay strong. She'd nod and do the same, and carry on as best as she could until gym class finally started. After the final bell the other kids tried to corner them, but the gym teacher broke it up before the fight even started. They managed to make it back home without any new black eyes or bloody noses, much to their relief.

"You wanna chill with us a while?" Cartman asked as they stopped at Parker's street.

She pulled a face and pointed at her backpack. "You know I do, but I have a shit ton of homework to do. Sorry guys…"

Stan frowned and shrugged. "It's okay; I have some rough stuff to do anyways, too." He turned to Cartman and laughed, nudging him with his elbow. "Miss Adams got so pissed, remember?"

"Hell yeah," the fat boy replied, snickering. "She should know not to treat high school kids like children; she was practically begging for the class to go wild like that."

"Even though it didn't really help me at all."

"What do you mean?"

The noirette gave him an expressionless stare and deadpanned, "Dude, when you fell over off the desk, your ass came into contact with my face. Your ASS was on my FACE!"

"Cheek to cheek," Parker casually piped up, grinning in amusement. "Same thing happened to me back in middle school with some kid I hardly knew."

Stan made a disgusted face and laughed. "Sick!" He shuddered at the thought and told the grinning girl that he'd text her before sweeping her up in a bear hug, twirling her around and smiling when she squealed. When he set her back down, he rested his forehead against hers for a moment and smiled sweetly, and finally patted her hair and turned back to Cartman and started walking back home. The brunette waved after them, sighing heavily when they were far enough away. As she made her way down the street to her house, she almost didn't notice the fluttering in her chest or the warm sensation growing in her cheeks. Almost.

"Today was nice," she said softly to herself. She smiled and unlocked her front door, opening it wide and walking inside. Dropping her backpack on the floor, she shut the door and kicked off her shoes, and slowly made her way into the kitchen. A glass of lemonade was poured, her backpack was scooped up again, and her bedroom door was closed gently behind her as she swore to herself that she'd start on her homework right away.

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><p>Eventually things settled down and the three friends' lives picked up almost exactly where they left off: nice and normal. School problems took a while longer to fade, but as time passed the death threats and beatings stopped. Just as promised, Slender Kenny didn't bother Parker and her friends, and there were no new deaths, which meant no new accusations aimed at the brunette. Every so often, however, she would catch a flash of blonde outside her bedroom window at night or hear a barely-there hiss of static in her headphones, and her heart would hurt; she wanted the old Kenny back, and she wanted to be able to pick up where they left off as well, but the heartbreaking reality was that it would never happen. At that point, she could sometimes be heard crying herself back to sleep at night, and wake up the next day to pretend that everything was alright.<p>

It was the last week of school, and everyone was cramming hard for finals. In every class, the teachers were handing out study guides and going over the material from the very beginning of the year, and the students were writing down every last word in case their teachers checked. Parker's head hurt from all the information, especially in math class, but she made it top priority to write everything down. Her notebooks were filled with notes and examples from past lessons, and she used this to her full advantage, keeping the study guides with the proper notebooks and going over them at night when she got home. Finally it was time: the Final Exams were set to begin. The entire school was quiet; quiet enough to hear a pin drop, and once the tests were administered, the students nervously got started. Many pulled a blank face, clear evidence of their memory gone, while many others spent all of class biting their nails or chewing their lips and uncertainly scribbling in the answers. Parker glanced up at the clock, wondering how Stan and Cartman were handling the stress, and quickly looked back down at the paper before her before bubbling in her answers and thinking back on the material. The first day was only first and second hour, while the second day was third and fourth hour, and the third was fifth and sixth hour. At the end of each day the students would leave a nervous wreck, and the next morning they'd come back just as bad as the night before. To Parker's surprise, she had no nightly visits from Kenny or Slender Man. She didn't know whether that was a blessing, or a sign of worse to come.

The third and final day was nearly over, and the brunette lay on her floor spot in gym, hurriedly scrawling the last of her answers for her exam. Tick-tock, tick-tock, time was running out. At long last she was done! She sighed and rested her head on the cold floor, eyes slipping closed from exhaustion. The Finals were over with, and summer vacation officially started when the bell rings; this is what she lived for during the wretched school days. Looking around, the brunette noticed that most other kids were finishing up as well, including her friends. They caught her eyes and gave her a thumbs-up, and together they waited for the teacher to collect the test. It was the last ten minutes of class, and since everyone was done, they were given the remainder of class to talk and roam the gym. The trio gathered and sat against the wall by the doors, and voiced just how nervous they were about their score.

"Dude, I bombed the shit outta my test," Cartman mumbled nervously, biting his nails. "I already know it, I failed, I failed, I totally failed the fuck out of it!"

Parker scoffed and patted his shoulder. "Chill; you didn't fail, man. You did a lot better than you think, trust me. Besides, this was nothing compared to the math final."

"I think I did pretty well on that one," Stan said, smiling a little to himself.

"You're not helping!" Cartman bellowed, fingers grabbing at the roots of his hair.

The noirette held his hands up in surrender, shooting the fat teen an offended look. "Sorry! Jeez, don't bite my dick off, Cartman…"

"Guys," the brunette said, looking between the two boys, "both of you relax! We all did good, and we're all gonna pass. Trust me." She smiled and grabbed both Cartman and Stan's hands and squeezed them lightly in a playful yet reassuring way, making both teens blink in confusion but otherwise smile warmly. They were so glad she was around.

Ring, ring, ring! The final bell on the final day of school, and it was finally over! All around the school students cheered wildly and threw their papers in the air, and ran as fast as they could through the classroom doors and out into the free world. The trio of friends was no exception; Stan and Cartman rose up and pulled Parker up by her hands, laughing when she yelped in surprise. Together they raced through the doors and out into to the halls, joining the other kids in screaming and whooping it up that school was out for summer vacation. The sun beat down on them and they leaped from the school steps, but stopped short when they saw someone waiting for them. Someone they never thought they'd see in a place like this. And certainly not on such a happy day.

"Uh-oh…"

"Dude…"

"W-What are you doing here…?"

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><p>Aaaand, cut-off! Lol sorry, I couldn't spoil it for the next chapter :) Kenny didn't kill anyone, yay! Wonder how long he'll keep this up? Sorry it was so long, but I didn't wanna break it off into 2 smaller chapters. So anyway, leave a review and all that good stuff. Next chapter will be up soon!<p> 


	41. Chapter 41

Sorry for the wait guys. Busy weekend :) Anyways, some pretty disturbing stuff ahead. You've been warned! Now onto the story!

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><p>The young girl stood before them, staring up with owlish nervous eyes. Her lips were turned down in a frown, and her hands were picking at a snag in her tank top. Stan and Cartman glanced at each other, seemingly already knowing what was happening, but Parker just stared down at her quizzically. The little golden-haired girl spoke up nervously, as if she was dreading the answer.<p>

"You…you wouldn't happen to be Parker, would you?"

Taken aback, the brunette nodded. "Yeah, why do you ask?"

She bit her lip and turned her head, looking back behind her. "He's back."

Stan looked at Parker; she was growing steadily frightened, but still seemed lost. Instinctively he reached down and grasped her hand, squeezing gently to let her know he was there.

"Who's back?"

"…My brother…"

Cartman stiffened and glanced to the brunette. "Oh shit…"

Parker looked from the girl, to Cartman, to Stan, and after a moment her eyes shot open and her whole body locked up on her. She realized who it was. Who was back. And who was without a doubt looking for her. "Craig…" she whispered, her eyes filling with terror. She looked back down at the girl, but she was already running off, crying and shouting apologies. This was it; Craig had broken out again, and now he would find her and get rid of her once and for all. She turned to her friends, silently pleading for them to shake her awake, but alas this was real. A horror movie gone wrong, but without the cameras.

"Wait a minute…" Parker's face lit up as quickly as it fell. "Cameras! That's it guys!"

Cartman gave her a confused look. "What are you talking about?"

"Cameras! I-If we keep cameras on and rolling at all times, we'll be able to see him and bring it to the police, and they'll HAVE to do something about it! Plus…plus, I'll finally be able to prove to everyone that Kenny is behind the town's deaths! It's foolproof!"

Stan squeezed her hand again and smiled. "Count us in, dude. I've got a ton of cameras at my place, so we can use those. Cartman and I will film everything, even if we're not around."

Parker nodded, smiling wide. "Awesome! I think this is gonna work guys!"

* * *

><p>"Did you find them yet?"<p>

"Uh…not exactly, no."

Cartman huffed and turned around on the couch to see Stan rummage around in the hall closet. "Dude, just ask your parents already. They'll know where they all went."

"Yeah, and tell them what, fatass?" the noirette shot back angrily, straightening out and glaring at the teen on the couch. "Tell them that we need to get film of our classmate's insanity and give it to the cops so he won't chop Parker up into a million tiny pieces?"

She snapped her head up, eyes wide and disturbed. "Thanks Stan, that makes me feel so much better about his escape…"

He smacked himself in the forehead. "Dammit, that's not what – oh, nevermind. You know what I meant." Another quick survey of the closet proved fruitless, and he sighed in defeat. "Dude, what the hell did they do with them all?"

A slam of a door could be heard upstairs, and both boys paled while Parker looked up toward the staircase. Just as they all expected, Shelly came stomping down the steps, fury evident on her face. "Keep it down, you turds! I'm trying to talk to my friend Marissa!"

Parker seized the opportunity and sprang the question on the angry girl. "Hey Shelly," she asked, grinning when said girl looked at her and flushed, "do you know where all the cameras went?"

"Why?"

"We need them," the brunette answered simply. She flashed the pink-cheeked girl a sweet smile and nodded to her friends. "We're doing a project and we need cameras to film it."

Shelly scoffed, turning her nose up at the others. "I-I guess I could look for you turds. Stay here and I'll bring them down." After she said that, she was gone in a flash. The only indication that she went back to her room was the not-so-hard slam of her door. Stan and Cartman looked to the grinning brunette and let go of a smile themselves. They just might go through this without a hitch, especially if Shelly did have the cameras. Minutes passed and Stan's sister didn't come back down. The three glanced up at the stairs expectantly and waited, but finally Stan sighed and clapped a hand on Parker's shoulder.

"Dude, go make sure she didn't sneak out the window?"

"What, why me?"

"Because," Cartman said, "you're the only one she won't beat senseless. Think about it: you have the advantage here. If you wanted to, you could have her wrapped around your pinkie."

Parker tilted her head to the side, thinking over what her friend had just said. "Hmm…I suppose you're right. But still, isn't that a little…manipulative?"

"Not if she likes you," Stan replied, smirking.

The brunette sighed and picked herself up off the couch. "Alright, I'll go check," she said, walking toward the stairs. Before she ascended, she turned back to the guys and narrowed her eyes and smirked, sending a strange feeling through them both. "You guys owe me for this…" A laugh escaped her and she finally climbed upward, walked down the hall, and reached what she presumed was Shelly's room. She knocked uncertainly, only to be met with an annoyed shout of "GO AWAY!"

"Ah, it's me, Shelly. It's Parker." She shifted her weight to one foot and rubbed her arm nervously, waiting for something to happen. When nothing did, she called, "Can I come in?"

No response. Finally just as she was about to turn and walk away, Shelly opened the door and shoved three cameras into Parker's arms. "There," she said, cheeks bright. "I'm only doing this because…b-because you asked nicely, and you're not a little punk."

The brunette looked down at the cameras in her arms and smiled. "Thanks, Shelly," she murmured, surprised and grateful for the sudden cooperation. "We'll give them right back when we're done, okay?"

"Sure thing." The girl's eyes lingered on Parker's smiling face for a moment before she closed the door again softly. Parker swore she saw the slight smile tugging at Stan's sister's lips before the door was closed, and smiled again. Quickly she rushed downstairs, tossed a camera to each boy, and turned hers on.

"Alright guys, keep these running at all times. Anything can happen in a spit second. Be sure to film yourself sleeping at night, just in case, and whatever you do…don't let your guard down."

* * *

><p>It was dark now, and Parker was alone in her house once again. She sat at her computer, mindlessly surfing the internet with the camera on her, capturing her every movement. The house was quiet and still, unnaturally peaceful. The silence wore on her nerves, constantly keeping her on edge. It was deafening. She was contemplating playing her music on low when a sudden movement outside her window caught her attention. Her head whipped around to face it at a breakneck speed, and her breath caught in her throat. Time began to slow, and even her own movements to get out of the chair and go to the window seemed to take forever. When she was arm's reach away from the window, time stopped. Her chest hurt from holding in her breath and her legs trembled wildly beneath her, threatening to give way and fail her at any second. Peering out, she saw…nothing. Suddenly another movement just above her, and she looked up in less than a second. It was just the shadow of leaves swaying on a tree branch. If it weren't for her unwavering fear, she would have laughed.<p>

"Ugh, I gotta relax," she mumbled to herself, retreating back to her computer chair. She dropped back down into it and sighed, leaning her head back to rest on the top of the chair. "All this worrying and shit's gonna screw me over sooner or later."

Her phone blared suddenly, making her jump out of her seat and fall to the floor. Pulling herself together, she stood and looked down at her phone: it was Stan. Feeling relieved yet slightly nervous, she picked up and answered the call. "H-Hello?"

"Parker, are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah. Why?"

"I just wanted to make sure." She could practically hear him smiling on the other end of the line, and rolled her eyes with a grin. "Hey listen…if you're scared and want some company, I can come over. If you want, that is."

Parker looked around her room, contemplating the idea. Truth be told, it would be comforting to have someone stay with her, especially since her dad had to work all night. "Um…please will you?"

Stan chuckled over the phone, making Parker's cheeks flush with embarrassment. "Sure thing kiddo. I'll be right over."

"Bring your camera!"

"Will do. See you soon." The line went dead, and the brunette set her phone back down next to the computer. Grabbing her camera, she went downstairs and decided to wait for Stan in the living room. He'd keep her safe tonight; she was sure of it.

"Parker…"

Every hair on her body stood on end. Fear shot through her like a pistol, and all color drained from her face. Fearfully she looked around with the camera, looking for the person who whispered her name. When she came up empty, she relaxed as best as she could. That's when she heard again, only slightly louder.

"Parker…"

The terrified brunette jumped to her feet, ready to attack. "I've got back-up coming right now!" she screamed to no one in particular, hoping to scare them. "So don't even think of doing anything stupid!"

Horrifying laughter echoed through the house, barely above a whisper and more painful on her ears than ten-thousand nails on a chalkboard. Her skin crawled until it physically hurt, and her hands were shaking as they pressed against her ears in an attempt to block out the menacing laughter ringing through the house. She screamed inside for Stan to hurry; it felt like she was dying from the inside out.

Knock, knock, knock. "Dude, you in there?" It was Stan.

Parker staggered to the door and flung it open before falling to the floor. Stan dropped his camera in surprise and shock, and immediately dropped to her side, asking her what happened. Her voice was shaky and her words spilled out all at once, none making any sense; something about laughing and whispering her name, none of which Stan heard with his own ears. He shushed her quietly and told her to get some rest before picking her up and carrying her upstairs. When Parker strained to look at the door she saw Tall, Pale, and Faceless smirking up at her. She wanted to scream, but all that came out was a weak whimper.

"Stan, no," she begged feebly. "He's here, please. Stan…"

"Dude, everything's fine. I checked, and there's nobody here."

The two were on the brunette's bed, arguing about someone being in the house with them. Stan was sitting on the edge beside Parker, assuring her over and over again that they were alone, while Parker was tucked in under the blankets and swearing up and down that Slender Man was with them. Of course Stan was losing his patience slowly, but not once did he fly off the handle or raise his voice at the girl; instead he leaned down and hugged her tightly, whispering in her ear that everything would be fine. With some reluctance, she gave in and took his word for it.

"Fine," she mumbled, looking away with a frown.

The noirette chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Good girl," he said softly. He leaned down and pecked her sweetly on the cheek before setting up her camera on the bedside table to film them during the night. "Are you comfy?"

The brunette shrugged. "I am, but I'd be comfier in my pajamas."

"You mean that long flimsy shirt you sleep in all the time?"

"I wear pants to sleep too," she said, rolling her eyes.

"I do too…sometimes."

Parker gave him a confused look. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means, go throw on your sleep clothes and let's call it a night," Stan laughed. "I'll just sleep in my underwear tonight, okay?"

"Just know I won't hesitate to rip it off if I find it touching me in the morning."

Stan grinned, masking his shock. "Duly noted."

The girl quickly shed her clothing, pulled on a long button-up shirt, and threw her camouflage pajama pants at the noirette. After he was dressed, she flicked the light switch off and crawled into bed next to her friend, whispering to him a "goodnight" before drifting off into sleep.

* * *

><p>Hours passed late into the night, and the brunette was sound asleep in her warm bed. All was silent and calm…until a groan sounded from down the hall. Parker stirred in her sleep, oblivious to the sound, until a crash startled her awake. She squinted hard through the darkness, trying to see what might have caused the noise, and heard another crash and finally frightened whimpering. Scared, she nudged Stan.<p>

"Stan! Stan, get up!" she whispered, frightened. "Come on, dude, wake your ass up!"

The noirette didn't budge.

Parker sighed and glared toward the door. "I guess I'll go see what it is…" Carefully she got out of bed, grabbed the camera on her table, and tiptoed to her bedroom door. She pressed her ear to it and listened; whimpering met her ears, along with the sound of something falling and hitting the floor. To her, it almost sounded like someone fell. Her hands shook as she grasped the door handle and twisted, opening it to meet more darkness. A quick look down the hall revealed bright light spilling from an open room. Parker hesitated, but finally managed to move her legs toward the light, wondering what was going on. She stopped outside and fearfully peered in from around the corner, and gasped. She was back at Tweek's coffee shop, and there he was, sitting on the floor, not a scratch on him.

"T-T-Tweek…?"

The spazzy blonde said nothing, but seemed to acknowledge her presence. His hands clenched and unclenched, and finally he turned his head. He didn't meet Parker's eyes, but instead looked toward the door leading to the front of the shop.

"Are you okay, Tweek…? It's me, Parker. Tweek…?"

He whimpered at the mention of her name, and clenched his hands into trembling fists. Just as Parker was about to walk up to him, his head turned completely around on his shoulders and looked at her, hazel eyes dull and lifeless. His mouth was slightly ajar, just as it had been when Kenny killed him. Without warning, it fell off his shoulders and rolled up to Parker's feet just as his headless body struggled to its feet. With a horrified scream, Parker reached for the door handle in the hall and slammed the door shut and ran like hell back down the hall toward her room. She pulled hard on her door; shit, it was stuck! Tears rolled down her cheeks and she made a wild dash down the stairs to the front door: it was jammed as well. There was no getting out! And who did she see outside smiling in? None other than the Slender Man, along with Craig Tucker by his side. His eyes glowed dangerously red, and the knife in his hand shone bright under the moonlight.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK, FUCK!" Frantically she looked around and, thinking quick, she sprinted toward the kitchen. When she saw Bebe's room through the entrance, her blood ran cold. The girls were there, sitting on Bebe's blood-soaked bed, and looked up at the disturbed brunette. When they rose to their feet, Parker nearly vomited: Wendy's guts spilled from her gaping hole in her stomach, ribcage and spine showing through grotesquely, while Bebe's body was sliced deeply at the bends of her elbows, bone showing horribly. Her eyes were glazed over, and the two girls began making their way to her. Without a moment's hesitation, the brunette hauled ass back up the stairs and rammed hard into her bedroom door. It practically broke under her force, and she rushed in to shake Stan awake. Why wouldn't he wake up?

"STAN GET THE FUCK UP! DUDE, THEY'RE DEAD BUT ALIVE! DUDE!"

A horrible gurgle caught her attention, and she looked back toward her closet. Kyle stared at her, gaping hole in his chest where his heart used to be, and walked up to the bed. For some reason, he seemed a lot less terrifying than the others. He made no move to attack her or anything of the sort; instead, he lifted the blanket and looked down with dead green eyes at Stan. The noirette stared up at the ceiling, unresponsive. Parker lost it and threw up violently on the floor. Just like all the others, Stan was dead: his face marred with a sliced smile spreading from ear to ear and showing the teeth under the skin, and one eye missing. Suddenly he shifted and looked up at Kyle, and struggled to get up. He dragged himself off the bed and stared up at Parker with that disgusting smile, and that's when she noticed it: he only had one arm, and his other limbs were gone, leaving bloody stumps and exposed bone behind. Parker tried to scream but nothing would come out. With one last look at her dead friends, she ran from her room and bolted for the bathroom by Tweek's room. She rushed in, slammed the door shut, and locked it before stumbling backwards and smashing her head against the bathtub and the wall behind it. Her eyes never left the doorknob, watching it twist and turn horribly, and she felt more tears fall down her face.

"Oh my god…w-what the FUCK IS GOING ON!"

"Isn't it obvious?" a whisper said. All sound faded, and only horrible static flooded her senses. Her hands flew to her ears, trying desperately to block out the deadly sound. It was useless, she realized. Her hands were drenched in blood from her ears, and she sobbed in terror, screaming for everything to go away. She demanded answers.

"Reflect on everything," the whisper urged, a tone of sadistic amusement laced between the words.

Parker growled and screamed, fury and terror and disgust mixing wildly. "WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN!" She received no answer; only twisted laughter ringing in her bleeding ears. She pulled herself out of the tub and fell to the floor, her legs failing her. "I have to try…" Struggling up, she held onto the sides of the sink for dear life, looked into the mirror, and her mind broke. Staring back at her in the mirror, instead of her own reflection, was a psychotic, evil version of herself. Her eyes were shining bright with madness and leaking blood, her mouth was twisted into a sickening proud grin, and her skin was stained with blood. Her friends' blood. Her reflection laughed, insane eyes never breaking away from Parker's horrified ones, and her dead friends slowly appeared behind the psychotic reflection. As she stared into the mirror, blackened appendages shot out of the ground and wrapped painfully around her legs before dragging down through a black void, thick and suffocating like quicksand. A petrified and strangled scream escaped Parker's lungs before she was swallowed up by black and attacked by an unknown force.

"HELP! STAN! KENNY! SOMEBODY!"

In one quick motion, her neck snapped and hung limp against her chest. She was dead.

"Parker…? Parker…?"

The brunette flinched and opened her eyes, her mind full of questions and nightmare. Had she only been dreaming?

Stan turned on the light, effectively blinding the scared girl, and walked leisurely over to her with a worried look on his face. When he took a seat next to her, she could clearly see the fear in his eyes. "Dude, you okay?"

"N-No, I…you were…a-and everybody else…Stan, what happened…?"

"You were having a nightmare," he answered, frowning. "It must have been bad for you to start screaming and flailing around like that…what scared you so bad?"

Parker stared at him, taking in his perfect, unmarked skin, and threw herself into his arms, sobbing and shaking hard from fear and sadness. Startled by this, Stan blinked down at her but otherwise sat and comforted her. He rubbed her back soothingly and quietly hushed her crying, running his fingers through her hair and whispering to her that he was there. He promised her that nothing would happen. His arms tightened around her fragile frame protectively and he kissed the top of her head, closing his eyes tiredly. He knew they wouldn't be getting anymore sleep tonight, but that was okay; he'd rather see Parker calm and alright than leave her awake as a basketcase.

On the other side of the bedroom door, a certain faceless being smirked. She'd had the nightmare. Letting out a sinister snicker, he turned on his heel and made for the front door. He whispered a goodnight to the two teens, closed the door gently behind him, and vanished into the night. Everything was coming together.

"Just as planned..."

* * *

><p>Well, there it is everybody. It was actually really fun writing about her nightmare...good lord I'm twisted. XD Anyways, don't forget to leave a review please? Next chapter coming soon!<p> 


	42. Chapter 42

Hey everyone, sorry for the wait. After this chapter, the story might go on hiatus for a while; I'm in the process of moving. Don't worry though, as soon as everything goes back to normal and I'm all settled in, I will write more and post right away! Just hang in there guys :) And now, on with the story!

* * *

><p>The next morning found the two teens sitting in Parker's bedroom, huddled together with Stan's arms wrapped loosely around the brunette's small body. She'd managed to quell her crying during the night, but her shaking never ceased. It was just about the only thing keeping Stan awake at this point; he was so exhausted. The frightened girl looked up at him, tired eyes glassy and red, and was met with an equally tired smile. Damn, Stan looked horrible without his eight hours.<p>

"Hey there," he murmured, trying to keep himself awake. "How are you feeling this morning, kiddo?"

"I-I dunno…a little b-better, I guess…"

Stan smiled and let his eyes slip closed before snapping them back open again. "Good, good."

The brunette looked away, feeling guilty for her friend's sleep deprivation. "Listen Stan, thanks for staying with me and staying awake this long, but…" She looked back up at him. He was starting to nod off, barely conscious. She frowned and gently nudged him. When he snapped back awake and looked at her curiously, she said, "Stan, you deserve some peace and quiet. Why don't you head home and get some sleep?"

"Can't I…just…ah, t-the people out…side..." His eyes slipped closed tiredly. "They don't…don't like…people can't make naked snow angels…in the summer…"

Parker sighed and stared at the noirette. A little smile made itself known on her tired face before she nestled closer into his touch and pulled the blankets tightly around them. The least she could do was make sure Stan was comfortable.

"I guess I can try to sleep again," she thought out loud to herself. Before she realized it, she was out like a light, hugging the raven-haired teen close like a teddy bear.

* * *

><p>"Stan? Dude, wake up."<p>

"Ugh, five more minutes…"

"No dude, right now. Come on, up!"

The noirette sighed and rolled over, pulling the pillow over his face. A muffled groan could be heard before the pillow was swiped away, leaving him annoyed and trying to block the light with his hands. "Ah fine, I'm up!" Groggily he pulled himself up into a sitting position, rubbing the sleep from his eyes with a yawn. When he looked up, he was met with a grin from a certain brunette. She was already showered and dressed.

"Morning, sleepy-head," she greeted.

"Morning," Stan echoed, mind still hazy. He looked around tiredly, noticing how bright the room looked. It must have been sometime in the afternoon already, he concluded. "How long have you been up?"

Parker shrugged. "A while. Hey listen, I was thinking…" She turned and walked back to her computer, and sat down, eyeing the screen excitedly. A smile grew on her face as she waved the raven over, pointing to the screen. When the boy dragged himself over to her, she said, "Why don't we go to the arcade today? I mean, it's perfect outside, and we can make a whole day out of it!"

He yawned and stretched, shaking slightly with his arms up in the air. "Um, sure thing. Let me just…let me head home and get ready, okay? I'll call you when I'm done."

"Are you sure you can't stay and do your stuff here?" she asked, tilting her head slightly. "The shower is right down the hall, and I'm more than sure I have some extra shirts if you need to borrow one."

Stan thought for a moment, looking toward his friend's closet, before grinning and giving in. "Well…okay, I'll stay here I guess."

Parker smiled. "Excellent!" She strode up to the closet and opened the doors, looking through the shirts. One by one she pulled them out, looked them over, and showed them to Stan for approval. When he finally decided on a plain white shirt, Parker told him to take his time and smiled after him as he left to take a shower. The bathroom door closed, the water began running, and the shower started. Parker glanced outside; it was bright and perfect summertime weather. Neither too hot nor too cool. A sigh escaped her and she looked down at the camera.

'Fun day or not, we can't take the risk,' she thought and picked up the device. It had been filming all night, and was close to running low. Luckily for Parker, she had an extra cable to plug it into to charge. Reluctantly, she turned the camera off and set it down to charge. 'Slender Man might not make an appearance today, but that doesn't mean Craig won't either…'

Minutes passed and soon enough Stan was out of the shower and back in Parker's bedroom, sitting beside her on the bed and chatting about the plans for the day. They knew they had to keep their guards up, but that didn't mean they couldn't have a little fun, right? The two finally managed to decide on going to the arcade and then coming back home for another sleepover. First, though, they had to get a hold of Cartman and make sure he wanted to go (not that they would take 'no' for an answer anyways, though). Parker dialed his number and called while Stan finished drying his hair, and smiled when the fat boy answered.

"'Sup?" Cartman said on the other end of the line.

"You're coming out with Stan and me," Parker stated, cutting right to the chase. Stan glanced at her with an amused grin and snickered. "So hurry up and get ready; we'll be over in ten."

Cartman agreed and hung up, leaving the brunette to do the same. She smiled and flopped back down next to Stan, sighing in content. "This is great," she said happily. "We're going out to have a great time today, and having another sleepover tonight. You can stay again, right?"

The noirette nodded. "Of course."

"Awesome." She closed her eyes for a moment, imagining the time the three of them would have later. "Ah, okay. Let's go get him."

"But…it hasn't been ten minutes yet."

Parker opened an eye and grinned mischievously. "So?"

* * *

><p>Cartman trudged down the stairs, towel resting around his shoulders and his hair still slightly damp from his shower. He sighed in content and looked down – and found Parker and Stan staring up at him with wide grins. A less-than-manly shout escaped him as he scrambled to cover his naked chest, and shouted obscenities at his friends when they started laughing. His face was bright red from embarrassment and anger, and he glared hard at the two teens on his couch.<p>

"WHAT THE FUCK!"

"What?" Parker asked, smirking up at him. "You said we can come get you."

"IT HASN'T BEEN TEN MINUTES, YOU DICK!"

Stan snickered and stretched his legs out, resting them on the girl's thighs. "That's what I tried telling her."

"Anyway," Parker spoke up, smiling, "hurry up and finish getting dressed. I wanna go play!"

Cartman rolled his eyes and sighed. "Fine, stay here." With that, he scurried up to his room, leaving two chuckling teens in the living room. Minutes passed and soon he reappeared down the stairs in a casual t-shirt and worn jeans. Another embarrassed glare at the smiling friends and he said, "Alright, let's go."

* * *

><p>The group walked through town, smiling and laughing and finally enjoying the freedom that summer vacation promised. Even though they were relaxing, they still had their cameras on and rolling; they couldn't be too careful, especially since Craig broke out again. Seriously, how did he manage that with only one arm? The teens pushed the unsettling thoughts away and instead opted to catch some of the beautiful day on film. People were crowding the streets, children were screeching and happy, and the arcade was open all day long. Parker smiled as she decided to play Dance Dance Revolution against the guys, or even a few other people there. This would be a great day!<p>

They walked on and on, and finally they spotted it: the arcade. With a smile they all rushed inside, playfully shouting and challenging each other to games. When they finally made their way around to see the games, they gasped. Crowding the place (and taking up Parker's favorite dancing game) were countless Goths, each one seemingly broken off into a different subgroup. Some wore rainbows and looked ready to rave, while others donned colored dread falls and cyber gear, while still others were more like the Goth kids from school. Shock swept over the trio as they stared, but they quickly regained their composure, curious yet slightly afraid. They'd never seen so many people like this in one place before. Frankly, it scared Cartman and Stan. Parker, on the other hand, seemed more adjusted and comfortable in the presence of so many Goths.

"Dude, let's get out of here," Cartman whispered, eyeing everyone nervously. "I don't feel safe…"

Parker gave him a hurt look. "Why not? They're just regular people like you and me," she said, smiling a little.

"Regular?" Stan looked around with wide eyes and mentally counted the especially-strange-looking ones. "The only 'regular' people here are the people who own this place, and us. And maybe the plain-looking Goths."

"You know, I almost wouldn't be surprised to see the Goth kids from school somewhere in here…" Cartman said, looking around.

Parker looked around, taking in the sight of so many new faces and clothes, and smiled wider despite the nervous look on her friends' faces. She turned to them with a devilish smirk and walked into the sea of black and neon, leaving behind a stunned Stan and Cartman. The two hesitated, frightened by a few people who walked by, before finally sucking it up and running through the crowd to retrieve their friend and get out of there. Many a mean look were thrown their way, and one guy even barked a mean comment at them, but they tried not to let it scare them; they just had to find Parker before something bad happened. A scream could be heard at the head of the crowd, and the boys paled. "No, no, no," they both whispered, running faster and pushing past people to see what had happened. When they finally fought their way to the front, they looked on with mouths hanging open in disbelief; Parker was getting ready to dance with a girl in waist-length black and pink dread falls, rave goggles on her head, and a tight top with a tiny miniskirt. The guys had to wonder how she'd be able to move her feet in her fuzzy legwarmers and boots.

"Ready?"

"Yep," the girl muffled through her cyber gas mask, nodding. "I'm picking the song, though." She reached over with her shredded fishnet-covered arms and searched the songs until she stumbled upon one that made her grin. She picked it, and the game started up. The screens glowed and showed the characters getting ready, and then the music started blasting. It started off as the sound of a game of Pong, but soon heavy electronic music started playing, as well as the beat of a drum, and finally a computerized voice said, "Let us play Pong!" The two girls danced, tapping the arrows beneath their feet and moving their arms to the beat of the music to get the feel of it. Stan and Cartman stood in shock and awe, watching their best friend dance with such a serious look on her face.

Parker's eyes never left the screen, and her feet flew to the arrows and stomped hard, giving her a rush. Her arms swayed and locked to the beats, almost as if she was battling the other girl at an imaginary real-world game of Pong. Her eyes left the screen briefly to lock eyes with the Cyber girl, who was almost glaring back at her and never missing a beat on her side. Soon the two girls weren't even facing the screen anymore; they were glancing at it out of the corners of their eyes, glaring and dancing to the music. The crowd was going wild, cheering the Goth girl on while also encouraging Parker to keep going. She did just that, stomping the arrows and moving her hands and occasionally flipping her hair out of her eyes. The other girl narrowed her eyes at the brunette and danced on, and the two looked ready to kill each other by the time the song was done. Stan and Cartman hurried and grabbed their friend by her arms and dragged her away, but were stopped rather suddenly when they felt hands grab their own arms. Terrified, they looked up and were met with angry glares.

"Just where do you two think you're going?" one guy asked, narrowing his eyes.

Cartman couldn't find the voice to speak with, and turned to Stan helplessly. The noirette cleared his throat and looked to Parker; she was shrugging with wide eyes. "S-She's our f-friend, and we're taking her home."

"Oh really?"

"Y-Yeah, really!"

Parker stared at Stan incredulously. "Dude, watch your mouth around these guys!" she whispered, fear evident in her voice. "They back their words up, man. They aren't like the Goth kids at school!"

The girl Parker was just dancing against strolled up to the group, pushing her friends away to free the scared teens. "It's cool guys," she said, slightly muffled by the mask around her mouth. She looked back down to Parker and smiled (at least, the trio hoped so; it was hard to tell with her mouth covered). "This kid knows how to dance. Well done. You haven't been around many of us before, have you?"

Parker let a shy smile loose. "One of my old friends was in with your guys' group. But myself, I'm not a part of any specific group."

"Oh, that's too bad…" She leaned down and touched her mask to Parker's cheek, drawing a surprised and confused look from the three South Park teens. "You'd make a good new member. Well, see you guys around." She gave them one final nod and walked away to join her friends, leaving the trio standing there, confused and afraid.

Cartman nudged Stan in the ribs and whispered, "Let's get out of here before they come back!" before yanking Parker forward by her arm again. Once the three were safely outside again, Stan and Cartman attacked the brunette with questions and told her not to scare them like that again. She just laughed.

"You know," she said between snickers, "you guys are so easy to scare! Did you see the look on your faces when you found me dancing with that girl?"

Stan sighed and peered over his shoulder, afraid someone was behind him. "Not cool, dude; we thought you were gonna get jumped in there!"

"Seriously Parker, what the hell?"

She shrugged and hugged her friends apologetically. "Okay, I'm sorry guys. You have to admit though, that was awesome as hell."

With some reluctance, the boys smiled and agreed. "Don't be surprised if you find yourself on YouTube later," Stan chuckled. His smile turned to a wicked smirk when he saw the brunette flinch.

The rest of the afternoon was spent going to the mall and enjoying nature. The friends stopped in at Spencer's and Hot Topic, as well as a few other stores, and eventually they grew bored and decided to try the arcade again. To their relief, most of the Goths cleared out long ago, which left them able to play to their hearts' content without fear. Stan played against Parker in Dance Dance Revolution and the two danced to a happy, upbeat techno song and in the end Parker beat him as well, cheering and all but rubbing it in his face. He laughed it off and told her Cartman would avenge him, which the fat teen did when he and she played against each other in air hockey. Video games were played for a while along with classic pinball, and soon it was time to head home and call it a night. While the three friends were walking through the dusk, they never saw the pair of red eyes watching them or heard the sinister snicker ring softly through the air. They were unsuspecting.

* * *

><p>"Dude, seriously?"<p>

"What?"

Parker watched with a silly grin as Stan sat on the floor by her bed watching the footage from earlier that day. He'd filmed her dancing with that one girl as he'd said, and was smiling the whole time he was reviewing it. He looked up to her and laughed, ducking when she swung a teddy bear at his face. She was given a stuck-out tongue and another laugh when she sighed and rolled her eyes.

"You have to admit, this is great video," the noirette said, smiling.

"It really is," Cartman agreed, watching in amusement. "Why didn't you ever tell us you can dance like that?"

The brunette shrugged. "I didn't think it was really something important…"

"I'd say it is," the fat teen said, watching on in amazement. When the video seemed to show her transition, he looked to Stan fake-nervously. "She can look scary when she gets really into it, huh?"

Stan nodded. "No kidding." He looked back up to Parker and saw her leaning back with her arms crossed and looking off into space grumpily. He grinned and handed the camera to Cartman before climbing up onto the bed and crawling up to the grumpy Parker. He tried to get her attention by waving his hand in front of her face, but when she refused to meet his eyes, he lightly gripped her chin and forced her to look at him. When she did and gave him a mean look, he grinned goofily and squished her cheeks together with his thumb and fingers, giving her the impression of a goldfish, and laughed. Parker rolled her eyes and finally cracked a grin herself.

"Ah, there's a smile!" Stan declared victoriously.

Parker laughed and pushed his hand away. "Yeah, yeah," she mumbled, smiling.

Cartman's phone went off, making the other teens look at it curiously. Cartman excused himself from the room and answered it, leaving Stan and Parker sitting on the bed. Stan yawned and lay back on the bed, and all but instinctively punched the brunette when she went to tickle his stomach. He gave her a warning not to do that again before letting her attack his skin with her soft fingertips. A short time passed before Cartman reentered the room looking upset. His friends looked at him, puzzled, and he sighed and told them he had to go home. The others frowned but otherwise understood, and warned him to be careful and keep his camera on during the journey. He bid them both a farewell before turning to walk downstairs and out the front door. When Stan and Parker heard the front door close securely, she looked to him a bit worried.

"You don't have to go, do you?" she asked. Stan could hear the worry and fear in her voice.

"No, don't worry," he replied. He smiled to assure her and lay back down again, reaching up to play with her hair. "Your hair is getting long…" he stated softly, absently.

The girl nodded. "I know; I need a haircut soon anyways." Looking down at Stan, she couldn't hide the smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Hey, Stan?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you have fun today?"

Confused, Stan answered, "Of course I did. Why?"

Parker chuckled. "Just wondering." She leaned back to rest against the headboard and stared up at the ceiling with a blank face. The two sat in content silence for a while, enjoying the other's company, when they decided to run downstairs for something to drink. Stan rose off the bed and held out a hand to help Parker, and together the two descended the stairs and sat in the kitchen. They drank soda in quiet, until Parker looked up at the window and frowned. Noticing the girl's sudden change in mood, Stan asked, "What's wrong?"

"Ah?" Parker turned to look at Stan and smiled, shaking her head. "It's nothing…"

"No?"

She bit her lip and looked down into her cup, clearly upset. Stan reached across the table and rested his hand on hers in an act of comfort, and she took a shaky breath. "I miss them, Stan…I miss them all so much…"

The raven-haired teen knew who she meant, and nodded, gently squeezing her hand. He sat and let her sigh, watching sadly as the tears slipped down her cheeks and fall to the table. He could see how badly it hurt her, and urged her to drink the rest of her pop. She followed his instructions sadly, hiccupping when a sudden sob made itself heard as she down the rest of her drink. Quickly Stan set their glasses in the sink and gently pulled the sad girl to her feet, and led her upstairs again. When they were back in her room, he closed the door and led her to the bed, sat down, and hugged her tightly while she sobbed into his shirt. He hated seeing her so depressed about all that's happened. She cried and cried, apologizing between sobs and clutching his shirt tighter in her trembling hands. He'd just shush her quietly and rub her back or pet her hair in hopes of calming her down. Finally he lay on his back and held her tightly to his chest, running his fingers through her soft hair and telling her everything would be alright.

"I-I'm sorry," Parker sobbed, burying her face in Stan's chest. "Everything's m-my fault…!"

The noirette's heart hurt seeing his friend so sad. Shifting her upward, he leaned down and kissed the top of her head softly, promising her that none of this was any of her fault. When her crying subsided slightly and she looked up at him apologetically, he smiled and wiped away her tears with his thumb. "That's better," he murmured, softly tapping his thumb against her cheekbone. "You look so much better with dry eyes, you know?" His eyes drooped a little and he smiled slightly wider. "I like you better when you're not crying…"

"S-Sorry…"

"Please don't be," he whispered. His smile slowly faded and his neck reached forward, closer to her face. When their lips were only an inch away, he whispered sweetly, "Just calm down…" before gently pressing their lips together, finally letting his eyes slip closed.

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><p>How sweet :) I wonder if Slender Kenny will get him now, or if he'll keep his promise to Parker not to kill? Ooh, worst possible time to go on break! :(<p> 


	43. Chapter 43

Hey, all! Good news; new chapter! YAY! Bad news; the wait for the next one might last longer. While I wait to get Internet connection again, I'll be writing the chapters out and post them all up when I get a few extra minutes. Thank goodness for wifi at McDonald's! ^^ And now onto the story!

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><p>Parker's eyes grew like dinner plates at the unexpected contact. Alarmed, she pushed Stan away and started crying again, frightened – no, panicked – tears running down her pale face and terrified screaming filling the room. She couldn't let this happen; not after everyone else ended up dead after pulling this very stunt. Stan was shoved away, nearly taking a tumble off the bed, while Parker took the opportunity to fly off the mattress and rush down the hall to the bathroom. The noirette could hear the handle jiggle, and realized that Parker had locked herself in. Never in his life had he wanted to kick his own ass more so than that very moment.<p>

"Dammit…" He sighed in frustration and buried his face in his hands, mentally kicking himself for scaring the brunette. Why the hell did he kiss her on the lips! Now she'd never trust him around her again! He looked back toward the door sadly and pulled himself to his feet, and finally took the walk of shame toward the bathroom door. Soft knocking sounded deafening to the noirette. "Parker…?"

No response.

"Dude, please open the door. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to…to kiss you like that…" His heart stung. He could tell that behind the door, the brunette was either glaring or curled up in the fetal position. Maybe even both. "Look, I promise I won't do that anymore! I swear it Parker! Please…" His eyes squeezed shut in sadness and leaned his head against the door, trying not to let his voice get shaky. "Please just open the door…"

Seconds passed but felt like hours to Stan, and no sound came from the other side of the door. He knew he was in trouble, and didn't want to believe it. Finally a muffled sigh echoed through the bathroom and hit the raven's ears. There was a sound of bare feet moving, and the slightest sound of hand grabbing sink, and before Stan knew it the door was opening and he nearly fell in with it. Quickly he regained his balance and stared at the red-eyed, pink-cheeked girl before him; she looked so sad and scared still. Stan wanted badly to hug her, but didn't want to make her freak out again. Instead he opted for petting her hair soothingly, hoping it would calm her.

"Stan," she spoke up, voice still a bit unstable, "we can't do this. I don't want you to end up like the others…"

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it, Stan…" She led him back to her room and closed the door with slightly-fearful eyes. It's like she was expecting Kenny to sneak in and splatter Stan against the wall. "Out of everyone that's felt his wrath thus far, only two people didn't have feelings for me. But those two people – Kyle and Wendy – either knew my secret or were close with someone who liked me. Kyle knew my secret and, according to Kenny, he was beginning to feel things for me. But…well, Kenny got to him before anything happened. And Wendy was best friends with Bebe, who liked me and practically raped me the night of the party. So Kenny offed her too." Parker looked to the door and then to the window; still no sign of the black-eyed blonde. Good. She then turned her attention back to Stan and frowned. "Do you see why we can't do that now, Stan?"

The raven-haired teen nodded. Parker could clearly see the sadness behind his blue-gray eyes. "I guess…sorry…"

"Hey…" Parker tipped his chin up and smiled a tiny smile at him. "Cheer up, dude. Just because we can't be like that doesn't mean we can't still be close. You know?"

"Oh my God, I just got friend-zoned!" the noirette groaned. He fell back onto the mattress and groaned sadly. Parker stared at him in bafflement before putting on a serious face and propping herself up on her elbow next to him.

"That's nothing, Stan. You bro-zoned me. BRO-ZONED! That's a million times worse than just being in the friend-zone."

He looked up at her, brows furrowed. "I had no idea! None of us did!" With an unexpected laugh, he sat back up and turned toward Parker, grinning. "So of course we were gonna bro-zone you, kid. How were we supposed to know you were a girl so long ago?"

Parker shrugged, grinning. "I guess you're right," she reasoned, laughing. The two relived their old memories together, starting from the very first day of school; Parker couldn't believe the guys actually liked her as much as they did on that first day, especially after her mean act. She was surprised, to say the least. Even more surprising to her, though, is the fact that Kenny couldn't stop talking about her, according to Stan. He told her that every day leading up to the point when he got bit he would talk about her nonstop in the classes they didn't have her. Stan laughed and called it 'Puppy Love' and Parker couldn't hold back the blush that swept across her face. Even back then Kenny couldn't get her off his mind. A noise caught both teens' attention, and they looked toward the window.

"Did you hear that?" Parker asked in a whisper.

Stan nodded. "What was it?"

Nervously, the brunette stood up and walked to the window to check. Everything seemed to be fine, except –

"Oh shit…!"

"What is it?"

Parker's eyes never left the window. Her voice was lost. Her eyes were wide and frightened. Fear rising, Stan reluctantly joined her at the window and looked out; everything looked normal…until Stan saw him standing there, smiling up at them. His red eyes were almost glowing through the darkness. The two didn't dare move; as long as they kept their eyes on him, he couldn't sneak up on them.

"Stan," the brunette breathed, never looking away. "Hand me the camera and call the police. Hurry."

The noirette did as he was told, breaking away from the window and fetching Parker's camera. He handed it to her and watched her set up to record, and quickly grabbed his cell phone and dialed 9-1-1. He was shaking badly, and nearly dropped his phone when a loud bang sounded from the front door. Parker heard it too and let out a scream, but never looked away from the red eyes watching her from the ground below.

"Hello, 9-1-1, what's your emergency?"

"H-He's outside! Craig…he's - " More crashing sounds made themselves heard, and Stan hissed in pain. Pulling the phone away from his ear, he realized it was getting hard to understand the woman on the other end of the line. "Parker, what's going on? My phone's just giving me static!"

In terror, the brunette turned around to face her friend. She was on the verge of tears, he could tell. "S-Static? Oh no…wait…" Realizing her mistake, she hurriedly turned back toward the window and looked out: Craig was gone! "Fuck, shit, bloody hell! Stan!" She stopped, hearing another loud bang, like a door being kicked in. Fear surged through the two like lightening. Their eyes fixed themselves on the door, waiting, but nothing ever came. Neither one of them knew how long they stood and waited like that; it could have minutes, hours, even days for all they knew. Parker kept the camera pointed at the door, waiting, hoping to catch even the slightest movement of the door handle, but nothing ever happened. It never moved. The two teens held their breath and waited. Parker braved a glance at the clock: it was past three in the morning now. Last time she saw the time it was at least around midnight. Have they really been waiting for over three hours?

The brunette rasped, "Stan, I don't think anyone's out there…" and tiptoed to the door. Her camera was still rolling. As quietly as possible, she pressed her ear to the door and listened; nope, not a thing. She could hear Stan finally moving behind her, and when she looked back to see, he was peering under her bed and looking through the closet. He was looking for something, but what?

"Where do you keep your bats and umbrellas?"

"What?"

Stan straightened and looked Parker straight in the eyes, face pale and eyes frightened. "Your baseball bats and long umbrellas, where do you keep them?"

"I-I don't think I have any," the brunette replied, still listening for sounds. Was that a rush past her bedroom door?

The noirette growled in exasperation and finally sighed, placing his hands on his hips. His foot began tapping, and he looked around. Parker could almost see the wheels turning inside his head. "Uh, okay…here." With shaky hands he pulled the blanket off the brunette's bed and nodded to her. "Open the door, and stay behind me."

Parker nodded and waited until Stan was ready, then threw the door open and got behind him. Slowly and silently the duo tiptoed down the hall, checking each room they came across. Hall closet proved empty (Craig wouldn't fit in there anyway), and so they ventured on to check Parker's father's room. It was dark until Stan flipped the switch, and the room was swallowed up by bright light. Parker ran over to the closet and checked while Stan looked under the bed; both came up empty, to both teens' relief. The light was turned off and the search resumed in the bathroom. Parker pulled back the shower curtain to reveal emptiness, and quickly dropped to her knees to check under the sink. Surprisingly, it was empty too. When Stan asked why she did it, she told him about how she hid underneath to escape Craig's attack. Finally, they came to the final room on the top floor: the guest room. Stan and Parker exchanged a nervous look before the brunette reached in and turned on the light, revealing a plain, empty room. As they did in her father's room, Parker and Stan thoroughly searched the closet, under the bed, and even braved opening the window and looking outside against the house, as ridiculous as that seemed. Nothing; clean search. They smiled and turned the light off before reaching the staircase, where sudden anxiety set in.

"Dude, what if he's down there?" Parker asked, fear clouding her mind.

The raven-haired teen gulped and gripped the blanket tighter in his hands. "If he is, we'll be ready," he replied, motioning with his head toward the blanket he was holding. "Ready?"

"I-I guess…"

Together, the teens slowly descended the stairs, listening and watching for anything out of the ordinary. Parker held onto the back of Stan's shirt for safety while Stan led the way, keeping himself ready for an ambush. Living room was all clear after the pair had checked, and that left the kitchen, which proved clear as well. Nothing was out of place or broken, much to the brunette's surprise. When sinister snickering rang through the house, Stan nearly tripped over his own foot spinning around to look, and Parker clung to him tighter out of reflex.

"COME OUT, CRAIG!" Stan shouted, hoping his anger will hide his fear. "WE KNOW YOU'RE HERE! GIVE IT UP ALREADY!"

More snickering grew louder into full-on laughter, hysterical and spine-chilling. Stan and Parker wanted to run, but stood their ground. They'd be damned if some one-armed maniac reduced them to scared children hiding for their lives. Stan grew furious and looked around wildly, bent on finding Craig and shutting him up. Parker, feeling suddenly brave, ran to the counter and pulled out a knife from the holder, flashing a grin to Stan as if to say 'I'll keep us safe!' They checked the windows and even braved a quick check outside. Craig was nowhere to be found, despite the insane laughter ringing in their ears. Quickly they locked the door and ran back to the brunette's room, shut the door, and blocked it off with the computer chair to make a makeshift lock. After that, they huddled together on the bed, keeping surveillance of the door and window. Hours passed and eventually the laughing faded, leaving two very tired teenagers fighting sleep (quite horribly). Stan was the first to slip under, and Parker followed shortly after.

* * *

><p>Parker jerked violently, pulling herself out of her fitful slumber. With a groan she sat up and looked around, suddenly remembering the night before; nope, everything was still the same. The chair was still in its place, the window was as the two had left it, and nothing seemed out of place. She let a small smile free and lay back down next to her sleeping friend.<p>

"Maybe we were imagining it?" she pondered out loud.

"Were you…?"

The brunette froze up in fear. That wasn't Craig's voice, and it wasn't Kenny's either. That could only mean…

"Oh no." She flew out of bed and rushed to the door, pulled the chair away, and opened it to peek out into the hall, and nearly screamed: just as she'd feared, the Slender Man was standing just outside her bedroom, staring down at the panicked look on her color-drained face. Before she could even react, his extra limbs shot out and grabbed her, and the two vanished on the spot, leaving one sleeping Stan completely unaware. Parker looked around frantically as her surroundings changed around her, and quickly found herself somewhere she least expected. Her confusion and fear was Slender Man's delight.

"T-The park?"

"Yes. The very same one you played at when you were just a child."

The brunette looked to the faceless being, confusion overriding her panic. "But…why?"

A smirk crossed the creature's lips as he set the scared girl down. Even the park was surrounded with a thick blanket of fog and dead vegetation. "It's been a while since I've come here. Oh you remember the nights many years ago where you would play late into the night so carefree, don't you?" He turned to her and smirked wider. "I miss those days, Parker."

Parker's skin crawled when the being spoke her name. Flashbacks came to her as clear as day about the years before: she would indeed stay out late and play with her friends up on the slide, pretending to be thieves hiding from the law, and even once got into a contest with her close guy friend to see who could jump highest off the swings. Of course, she'd nearly broken her leg and got a nasty scrape on her face when she landed, but it was still fun. In fact, back in those days, she still had her sister Sophie by her side. Realization set in and she looked up at the Slender with wide, hatred-filled and terrified eyes. "O-Oh my god…you were…"

"Ah, so it's starting to make sense now, is it?" The tall man chuckled to himself and walked forward toward the abandoned-looking playground, motioning for Parker to follow. When she refused to move, he calmly said, "If you won't join me, I'll just have to kill you where you stand." She immediately obeyed and joined him on the swings, taking a seat on the one she leaped from so long ago. If she weren't fearing for her life, she would have smiled a little at the nostalgia. Slender Man laughed to himself, prompting a frightened look from the girl beside him.

"What?" Parker asked. She immediately paled when he turned sharply to face her; she must have used a tone he didn't very much care for.

He waited before smirking again, and reached long fingers out to touch her face. She nearly fell backwards off the swing when his fingers felt like ice against her skin. "You were so different back then…so carefree, so innocent, so unsuspecting…you were the one I originally wanted back then." He sighed and pulled his hand away. "And I would have had you, if it weren't for your sister getting in the way. She'd seen me that night, and well…I couldn't just let her get away…" Another sigh, this time sounding heavier, and he looked off into the foggy distance. "In a way, your sister saved you. If she hadn't seen me, she would still be alive…well, at least until I decided to take her shortly after…"

The brunette's eyes filled with angry, sad tears as she glared up at the being. She hated him so much in that moment. "Why are you telling me all of this?"

"Simply because I can," Slender Man replied. His almost-sad expression was quickly replaced with a cynical smirk as he turned back to her and chuckled. "I thought you should know the background story for your sister's disappearance…and besides, it makes me smile when you suffer."

Parker's hands curled into shaking fists. "Sadistic fuck," she spat, glaring daggers at the faceless creature beside her. "Why don't you just kill me now and get it over with? You've already taken Kenny from me, and used him to kill my friends. And I know you're using Craig as a proxy to torment me and Stan and Cartman. Just slit my throat and end my pain!"

Slender Man leaned down close to her face, gripped her chin painfully in his sharp fingers, and smirked vindictively. "Now where's the fun in that?" he asked in a whisper. His laugh grated her eardrums, and her hands flew to her ears in a vain attempt to block out the horrible sound. It grew louder and louder, making her head hurt like it was splitting apart, and she fell to the ground, eyes squeezed shut and leaking pained and horrified tears. Her hands felt wet with the blood leaking from her ears, and still the laughing only got louder. She couldn't take anymore, and let out a scream.

"SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP! JUST FUCKING END IT!"

The laughter suddenly stopped and she was roughly lifted into a sitting position. This was it, she thought. Only, the pain never came. Warmth seeped through her wrists, and when she opened her eyes uncertainly, she was face-to-face with a scared and confused Stan. His face looked pale and unshed tears shone behind his eyes, and his grip on her was shaky. It was then that Parker realized she was back in her house in the hallway without the tall faceless man. Stan must have thought she finally lost it. The noirette spoke not a word, but instead hugged the brunette tight, trembling fingers clutching into the back of her shirt as if to beg her not to leave him alone. In one word, Parker felt guilty.

"Sorry, Stan…"

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><p>I know it was short (at least in story progress...) but I thought that since I had the chance I might as well post what I had so far. Next chapter will be longer and progress more, I promise :) Thanks to all my readers and reviewers for encouraging me to keep this thing going! You guys rock! And again, just hold on until I can post again, okay? You won't be disappointed!<p> 


	44. Chapter 44

I am SOOOO sorry for the wait, everybody! I need to get internet at my new place _ Anyway, the next chapter is coming very soon, promise! I seemed to have hit a mad case of Writer's Block, but thankfully some new personal experience is helping me along... New chappie will be up soon! :D

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><p>"What do you mean she was just screaming?"<p>

Stan and Cartman were in the fat teen's living room, lying on the floor playing video games while Parker was up in the bathroom. Immediately after she was out of the noirette's line of vision, he turned to his friend and brought up the scare from the previous night. Cartman listened with a solemn face, but still seemed lost. Apparently he wasn't being quite as tormented as they were.

"I told you," Stan whispered, stealing a glance at the stairway, "I woke up and she was just screaming like she saw someone die. I don't think it was a nightmare, dude; she was wide awake and on the floor outside her bedroom door. Something had to have happened…"

"Why don't you just ask her yourself?"

The raven-haired boy glared at him. "I don't want her to freak out again, or worse: think I think she's crazy. I know she's not crazy. And I can't just come right out and ask her…what if that triggers something bad?"

Cartman shrugged, looking genuinely hurt. "Sorry, dude, I didn't mean to sound like a dick. I was just trying to help…"

"I know," Stan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Sorry. This whole thing has my mind scrabbled."

"Hey guys?"

The two looked up to see Parker leaning over the rail a bit dangerously. She looked sad but happy at the same time. "Thanks for putting up with my fits. I know it really doesn't look good, but…" She glanced toward the window, as if expecting to see Craig or Slender Man staring in, but let go of a little smile when nothing was there. "I can promise you guys, I won't let this happen again." She took the steps two at a time and made herself comfortable on the couch by the boys. "We've got cameras now, so if we think something's not right we can just review the footage. This is gonna work, I just know it…"

Stan nodded, biting his lip. 'I really hope you're right, kiddo…'

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><p>The three were down at the arcade later that afternoon, playing and having a good time with smiles and laughs. The place was relatively empty, save for the few people working there that day. They greeted the three teens and let them have run of the games while they themselves played a game of pool in the back with a few beers. Cartman and Parker played a shooter game until he ultimately beat her, then she found her way to Stan's side and played (and beat him) at a game of pinball. Only when the sky was starting to turn orange did they decide to head back home. They walked the streets without a care in the world, smiling and chatting about really nothing. All the while their cameras were rolling and capturing everything around them, ensuring that they were all safe. Parker took great comfort in this.<p>

"How about we sleep over at my place tonight?" Cartman asked hopefully.

Stan nodded with a smile. "Sounds good to me." He then turned to Parker with curious eyes and tilted his head slightly. "You in?"

"Of course!"

"Great then, it's all settled." The fat teen grinned wide and led the way to his house with the other two in tow. Stan chuckled and walked beside Parker, taking a peek at her; she looked nervous. Without hesitation, he reached down and gently grasped her hand in his, giving it a slight squeeze to assure her that she'd be okay. She looked up at him and smiled, trying to hide the slight pink on her cheeks. As they continued on through town, they didn't even notice the cameras act up and return to normal a split second later.

'Sweet dreams, Parker…' a certain someone thought with a wicked smirk.

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><p>Every light in the house was turned off, and Cartman's mom had fallen asleep hours earlier. That left the three friends alone in the living room, in the dark, with the blinds shut and the door locked, with a movie starting up on the television. But it wasn't just any movie – it was a horror movie. One that Parker had a hard time even thinking about. Mary Hatchett: The Legend of Bloody Mary.<p>

"S-Stan, I can't…"

"Why not?"

The brunette didn't meet his eyes out of embarrassment. "I-I'm scared."

The noirette chuckled under his breath and wrapped an arm protectively around Parker's shoulders. When she looked up at him with wide, nervous eyes, he said, "It's okay, kiddo; I'm here. I won't let her get you." He smiled and kissed the top of her head, hugging her tight with his one arm. "It's just a movie, you know? Nothing to be scared of."

"I-I guess…"

The woman on the screen was lying on the stairs, scared for her life of her daughter. She'd witnessed the young girl murder her own father with a hatchet, and there was no way she was going to be next. She looked up, afraid, and saw the child's face staring down at her before the hatchet stuck into her face. Parker screamed, making the boys jump unexpectedly. The movie title appeared on the screen, and Parker was already shaking and freaking out as bad as Tweek normally would. With an amused grin, Stan patted her shoulder comfortingly while Cartman rubbed calming circles in her back. This was going to be a long movie.

Time ticked by slowly as the friends watched on. Stan and Cartman looked a little frightened during the movie, and Parker was hidden behind Stan's shoulder with her eyes squeezed shut and her hands clenched tightly in the fabric of his shirt. She was shaking hard, and that worried the two boys. They tried all that they could to calm her down, but nothing seemed to work. The raven-haired teen had a feeling it wasn't just the movie freaking her out; she was probably seeing Craig in the place of Mary right now. The scary thing is, it made sense. A frown passed over his lips as he looked to Cartman, and the fat teen already knew. They hoped this wouldn't cause another breakdown.

"S-Stan…"

He looked down, surprised by the fear laced in her voice. "Yes, Parker?"

"Will you…I-I need to…um…"

Cartman looked at her, confused. "You need to what?"

Parker was thankful of the dark. Her cheeks were burning. "I-I have to go to the bathroom…will you guys take me up the stairs?"

The boys couldn't hide the grins on their faces; this was too cute. "Sure thing," they said together.

Cartman and Stan stood up, paused the movie, and helped the scared girl to her feet. Through the dark the trio found their way to the stairs and climbed up, trying not to trip over anything in their way. Cartman led the way to the bathroom, flipped on the light for Parker, and smiled. "There you go, Parker. Want us to wait out here for you?"

Parker nodded, looking around nervously. "Please?"

"Okay." Stan petted her hair before waving her into the bathroom. "Try to hurry, okay? We still have the rest of the movie to watch. We'll be right here for you."

"Yeah," Cartman said, grinning mischievously, "just don't look in the mirror."

Parker's eyes opened wider, making her look like a terrified owl. "So help me God, Cartman, I will beat you black and blue while you sleep!" She cautiously walked through the bathroom doorway and closed the door behind her, then turned to inspect the porcelain room. Everything seemed fine and normal. Her hand shook as she quickly pulled back the shower curtain; nothing there. What a relief. With an uncertain smile, she pulled her underwear down, lifted her long shirt slightly, and sat on the toilet to finally relieve herself. The room was quiet, too quiet for the brunette. The silence hurt her ears. She was scared, but didn't quite know why. At least her friends were waiting outside the door; she took great comfort in knowing that fact. Finally she was done, wiped and flushed, and turned on the tap to wash her hands. Her eyes stayed down, fighting every instinct to look into the mirror. Cartman was really going to get it, she thought. The water ran hot - almost unbearably hot - and fogged up the mirror in a matter of minutes. Parker took notice and flinched.

'I shouldn't,' she thought, 'but…' Taking another look behind her, she saw the room was still empty. She turned back to the mirror and hesitated before raising a trembling hand to the surface. Slowly she dragged her skin across the mirror, wiping away the steam, and stiffened; standing behind her was none other than the Slender Man, evil grin showing and tentacles waving ominously. Everything within her shut down, leaving her standing there in frozen terror.

"Dude, you done yet?"

She didn't dare move. The pale being's hand lowered to rest on her shoulder, and she could feel the icy touch on her skin.

"Parker?"

Parker didn't answer. He grinned wider as a waving limb came to wrap loosely around her neck. She sighed shakily and closed her eyes, then silently counted to ten.

"We're coming in!" The door was opened with a force and the two boys stared in, frightened. "Hey…you okay?"

When Parker opened her eyes again, he was gone. "Yeah…" she murmured. "I-I'm fine…"

Stan looked worried. "Are you sure? I mean, we can - "

"I'm okay, really." She turned to her friends and forced a smile. "Just a little tired is all…and I guess a little freaked out by the movie…"

"Do you want us to turn it off?" Cartman asked worriedly.

Parker hesitated a moment and finally shook her head. "Nah, I'll be fine." She smiled a little more genuinely and followed her friends out into the hallway. When she turned back to turn off the light, it was like the Slender Man wasn't even there.

* * *

><p>Weeks passed and found the three friends going out and doing more things around town. Parker was admittedly afraid of running into Craig or Slender Man, but she didn't dare breathe a word to Stan or Cartman about it; she didn't want to make them worry. Nothing on the news had covered Craig's whereabouts since he broke out again, much to the teens' fright. On the bright side, he hadn't really bothered them this time around. They were thankful of that. Cartman had cracked a joke about it being because Craig was missing an arm, and Parker looked beyond speechless while he and Stan busted out laughing. The rest of that day was spent in fear for the brunette. The next day, to Stan and Parker's surprise, Cartman dropped a bomb.<p>

"You're WHAT!"

Cartman cringed at the tone in Stan's voice and looked away almost in shame. "I'm going camping with my mom this weekend. What's the big deal?"

"Dude, you couldn't tell us this sooner?" Stan asked, shocked and a little angry. "How long have you known?"

"Look, my mom told me just this morning okay? Don't get your panties in a knot at me for it!"

Stan growled in frustration and sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. The other two knew he was trying to keep himself calm, but it might take a while for it to really take effect. "Okay, okay, fine. Just…" He looked from Parker to the fat teen and thought. "Just call us I guess as soon as you get there. You never know – Craig could be hiding out somewhere and strike when we're apart. I guess I'm saying…well, just be careful."

"Yes, dear," Cartman snickered, ignoring the noirette's glare.

The rest of the day was spent hanging out outside, going up to Stark's Pond and taking a dip in the water, and playing at the old elementary school playground. Parker recorded everything on her camera and even managed to get some footage of Stan and Cartman acting like idiots and jumping off the swings. All in all, it was a pretty fun day. Once the sun began set, the three walked back to their respective homes and called it a night.

* * *

><p>"Parker…"<p>

The brunette's eyes twitched, but refused to open.

A sinister chuckle echoed through the bedroom and hit the sleeping girl's ears. Her eyes instantly snapped open and she sat up, looking around wildly. Nothing was in there but her. Feeling frightened, she decided it would be best to stay awake until the sun rose; only another two hours from then. Like she really cared. She swung her legs over the side of her bed and pulled herself up, head spinning from the speed that she rose. The room was momentarily enveloped in black and dancing spots of light, but quickly returned to normal as soon as her head was settled.

'Stupid blood pressure,' she thought, making a face. A quick look to the window revealed the dark sky and the twinkling stars overhead; the girl managed to smile despite her lingering fear. She stretched and opened her bedroom door, slowly climbed down the stairs, and flipped on the lights before taking a seat on the couch and turning on the early morning news. Weather for the weekend looked perfect (lucky Cartman), a reminder for some concert was briefly covered (Parker didn't care much for the artist), and traffic was smooth sailing on the roads so far. A yawn passed the brunette's lips and she curled closer into herself, eyes unwillingly slipping closed for a moment before flying back open tiredly. There was no way she'd be able to stay awake at this rate.

"No, gotta stay up," she mumbled sleepily to herself. "Gotta…can't…fall asleep…" Another yawn and her eyes closed again, sending her falling back into Dreamland.

* * *

><p>She awoke later that morning to the sun shining in through the living room window brightly and her father making breakfast in the kitchen. The smell of freshly-baked cinnamon rolls hit her nostrils and her mouth immediately started watering. Her dad always did make the best cinnamon rolls, even if they were store-bought. A smile crossed her face at that thought and she stumbled sleepily into the kitchen and plopped down into a chair, rubbing her eyes and greeting the man in the frilly pink apron beside the stove.<p>

"Good morning, bedbug," he greeted cheerily. "When did you get up this morning? I noticed the lights were on and you were curled up on the couch."

"Oh…yeah, I had a bad dream and decided to come downstairs," Parker replied simply. She yawned and stretched again before seeing her dad pull the rolls out of the oven and carefully ice them to perfection. She dragged herself to the refrigerator and poured herself a glass of milk, sat back down, and smiled at the fresh confection waiting on her plate. The man set one on his own plate, left the rest to cool, and sat down at the table with his daughter to enjoy breakfast. He looked up at her and smiled before biting into his food, savoring the sweet icing and cinnamon on his tongue.

"So sweetie, do you have any plans for today?"

Parker thought, peeling the side of her roll and ripping off a piece to eat it. She popped it into her mouth and replied with a softened, "Um, actually I think me and Stan might hang out later on." She chewed and swallowed and continued on. "Our friend Cartman is supposed to go camping today, so we wanted to get some time in with him before he left for the weekend. You don't mind, do you?"

"Of course not, silly," her dad replied, grinning and waving his hand dismissively. "Just call me later to let me know what's going on, okay?"

The brunette nodded happily and finished off her roll, and stood to get another. The morning was spent talking and joking and planning for activities during the week up until Stan called a few hours later. Parker showered and dressed just as the noirette walked through the front door, and the two spent a few minutes longer with the brunette's father before departing to meet Cartman before his trip. The fat teen was waiting outside his house while his mother was busy packing the camper with the supplies they'd need. Needless to say, Stan wasn't surprised. The three friends got a half hour together before Cartman and his mother buckled in and drove off, leaving Stan and Parker alone for the weekend. The two knew it would be lonely without him, but they could manage by themselves. All they really had to worry about was Craig – as far as Stan knew, anyway; Parker, on the other hand, had a whole other problem to deal with, and she'd be damned if Stan got tangled into the mess like the others.

"So," Stan spoke up as they walked up to the store, "what do you wanna do now that Cartman's gone for the next few days?"

The brunette blinked and thought, and finally shook her head. "I dunno…I'm down with anything I guess. Hey, how about Soul Caliber?"

Stan looked to her, grinning smugly. "I will so own you at that game, dude. You don't stand a chance."

"Oh you wanna bet?" Parker asked, raising a brow and smirking. "I could beat you blindfolded."

"Prove it."

The two exchanged an intense look before going into the store, buying some soda for later that night, and trekking back to Parker's house. The brunette laughed at her friend when he nearly tripped on a rock in his path, but he glared at her before sticking his foot out in front of her and watching her stumble. She regained her balance almost immediately and stuck her tongue out him, flushing when he snickered at her childish act. They reached the house and let themselves in, only to find that Parker's father was gone.

"Must be at work," Parker said nonchalantly as she moved into the kitchen. She put away the extra pop and motioned for Stan to follow her up to her room. Once the two were in with the door shut, Parker dropped to the floor and hooked up her newest game station.

"Get ready to lose," Stan said matter-of-factly.

"In your dreams, man." The brunette popped the game in and looked to Stan with a grin, but quickly pulled a blank face. "Dude, what the hell?"

The noirette snickered. "What?" In his hand, raised up so she could see, was a red bandana, but not just any bandana; it was HER bandana. His eyebrows raised with that never-ending grin, and he nodded for her to come sit next to him and make true on her word. She knew what was happening, and shook her head furiously.

"NO! NO WAY STAN!"

"You said you could," Stan argued, laughing. "Now come here and prove it!"

"NO!"

The noirette sighed. "Alright then, guess we have to do this the hard way…" Before Parker could even realize what was happening, Stan was on top of her, wrestling her down to the floor with a wide grin and laughing when she started screaming at him to get off. He didn't listen; instead, he managed to pin her arms under one of his legs while he sat on her back, and hastily tied the cloth around her eyes, including her glasses. To say it was uncomfortable for Parker would be an understatement.

"Not cool, Stan," she muttered, mixed emotions hidden behind red.

Stan snickered and released her. "Hey, I'm just making sure you stick to the bet is all. Besides, this will be more fun."

Parker snorted and rolled her eyes under the bandana. "Maybe for you…"

"Come on," Stan chuckled, "it'll be fun for both of us." He helped her up to her knees and guided her back to her original spot before getting the controllers and handing her one. She had a blank face as she blindly stumbled through the character selection, picked someone, and began the fight against Stan's character. The round was easily won by Stan, and the second started quickly after. Parker's character fell out of the ring and, feeling a little bad, Stan gave her a few tips and let her blindly beat him. She smiled when she heard his character lose, but it soon vanished when Stan once again beat her flawlessly. The noirette couldn't help but gloat a little, even it was an unfair fight.

Parker shook her head, the ghost of a smile on her lips. "Okay, so maybe I can't beat you blindfolded," she admitted, "but still I could whoop you with my sight."

"I'm so sure," Stan teased, ruffling her hair playfully.

"Don't you patronize me," the brunette warned. "Can I take this thing off now?" She could feel busy hands working against the back of her head, untying the knot in her bandana. When she could feel it finally loosen and lift away from her face, she sighed happily and shook her head to free any hair stuck to her head. She looked up and saw Stan smiling, and gave him a quizzical look. "What?"

He laughed and leaned back. "I so beat you, and you know it."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes, crossing her legs and flipping him the bird jokingly. "Whatever, man."

The light above them flickered, causing them both to look up curiously. One flicker, two, three, then the room was thrown into darkness. Stan flinched, Parker jumped, and lightening outside flashed through the night sky. They were both shocked, to say the least.

"I thought the weekend was supposed all clear skies?" Parker asked, eyes slightly wide with fear.

Stan groaned and rose to his feet, reaching down to offer Parker up. "You know how weather men sometimes get the weather wrong. It's just a fluke." He pulled his friend to her feet and stumbled around in the dark for a flashlight or his phone. When he felt a hard substance under his foot, he quickly bent down and pressed a button to light up the room. The light was dim, but just enough to see. Stan scanned the room for any candles or some other light source but frowned when he realized there was none, and a sudden loud beep emitted from his phone made the two jump.

"What was that?"

The noirette sighed in frustration. "My stupid phone…dammit it's dying. I could have sworn I charged it this morning!"

A series of sharp raps came from the window, sending Parker's eyes flying toward the glass in fright. It almost sounded like pebbles. Neither teen breathed a word as they inched toward the window and peered out, and gasped.

* * *

><p>And cliffhanger! Sorry guys lol but please review :)<p> 


	45. Chapter 45

Finally up! Sorry about the wait guys ^_^;; As always, please be kind and review!

* * *

><p>"Wow, it looks like it's about to flood out there…"<p>

Parker bit her lip as she and the teen beside her gazed out into the night, staring down at the ground below. Water had already begun gathering in puddles, and they looked deep. She was afraid Stan might be right and they really were about to get flooded out. Another session of sharp raps startled her and she jumped, causing Stan to grin a little despite his surprised eyes.

"It's okay, Parker," he said calmly," it's only the rain drops. See?" He pointed up at the sky and tapped the window gently. "The rain's just coming down hard and hitting the window awkwardly. Nothing to be scared of, alright?"

The brunette nodded, looking away in almost shame. "Sorry, Stan…"

He chuckled and tilted her face up to look him in the eyes. He was smiling, and hardly even seemed to notice Parker's pink cheeks. "Hey, don't be sorry, dude. Cheer up; I won't let anything happen to you. Now, do you have any candles or flashlights?"

"Um, yeah I think so. Down in the kitchen."

"Okay, cool! Um…here." Gently Stan grabbed her hand and sat her down on the edge of her bed, trying hard not to bump her into anything. "You stay here while I go get the lights. You said they were in the kitchen somewhere?"

"Yeah, but…I don't know exactly where, though. Maybe I should - "

Stan held a finger to her lips, effectively silencing her. When she looked up at him in confusion, he said, "I'll go down and get them. That way if there's anything down there, it'll come after me instead of you." Even through the dark he could see her eyes grow wide and panicked, and quickly added, "Not there is anything down there, I mean! I'm just saying…"

Parker nodded, still slightly shaken up. "Y-Yeah, I get it. Okay, uh, they should be in one of the drawers. If they're not, then check the cupboards by the stove."

"Will do, thanks. Now just wait here; I'll be right back." With that, Stan carefully made his way across the darkened room, fumbled with the doorknob, and climbed down the stairs to the floor below. He was gone now, leaving Parker alone in the dark in her bedroom, and completely at the mercy of whatever hid among the darkness. She could feel her skin prickle and crawl, but refused to believe anything would happen; nothing would happen and she would be fine until Stan returned. From the living room she could hear the noirette hit a corner of the table followed by a loud string of swear words, and snickered under her breath. Another flash of lightning illuminated the girl's room for a brief moment, giving her a chance to see everything in light. Her eyes skimmed over the room and stopped in horror at the far corner near the door.

"Not again…"

He smirked evilly and took a step through the bedroom entrance. "Enjoying the blackout?" the suited man asked sardonically.

Parker shuddered at his voice and squeezed her eyes shut tight, willing him to go away. "You're not here right now…you're just a trick of the light…"

Slender Man chuckled, sending the girl's fear into overload. Closer and closer he stepped until finally he was beside her. Reaching down with long pale fingers, he whispered sinisterly, "Oh, I'm here alright. Don't you feel me, Parker?" In one swift motion, he sliced a shallow cut under the brunette's eye, making her nearly scream out in pain and fright. A dark laugh filled the scared girl's ears and she unwillingly opened her eyes to see the nightmare before her stare down at her. That hideous smirk never left his colorless face, and only grew bigger with each passing second.

"What do you want…?" Parker managed to choke out, frozen in terror.

"Simply to watch you suffer," the faceless man replied cruelly. His smirk nearly stretched completely across his face as he slowly reached down toward Parker's neck and gently ran his fingers across the skin at the base. Chills ran down her spine at the touch, and she nearly screamed when she felt pressure push down on the spot. With wide, terror-filled eyes, she stared up at the evil creature as if to ask what he was doing. She was answered only with a wicked laugh and even more pressure applied, this time higher around her windpipe. Her voice came out strangled and raspy as she tried to call for help, but it was quickly failing her as she felt her face turning blue. It was over for her now.

"Dude, I finally found some candles!" Stan came tiptoeing in, looking out for any corners like the ones downstairs. Carefully he flicked the lighter in his hand and held the flame to the wick, catching it on fire in seconds and holding it out in front of him to see. When he saw Parker on the bed, eyes leaking fearful tears and raspy coughs making themselves heard with force, he worriedly asked, "What's wrong? What happened, Parker?"

The brunette stared up at the ceiling where the Slender Man was standing just moments before. He'd vanished before Stan could see him; he used the darkness to his advantage. She sat there not even bothering to wipe the tears away, and shook her head without a word.

"Hey…" The noirettte crossed the room and sat beside the crying girl, set the candles and lighter down on the bedside table, and wrapped his arms around her tightly. "Come on," he whispered, running his fingers through her hair comfortingly, "don't cry, kiddo. Remember: the shadows can't hurt you." He pulled back and smiled sweetly down at her, only to see crying eyes and a deep frown looking back at him. Parker looked away toward the window, but jumped when she felt her friend's fingers gently trace the cut under her eye.

"What happened?" he asked, worry evident in his soft voice.

Again, she shook her head wordlessly. How could she tell him without scaring him? Her eyes ran back across the room to come to a stop at the doorway again. He sent her one last malicious smirk before disappearing right before her eyes.

A sudden loud knocking from the front door brought them both out of their own worlds with a start. They exchanged an inquisitive look, and carefully snuck through the shadows toward the staircase. The two crept along, trying not to make any noise, and finally reached the first floor. It was there that they saw a figure trying to look in through the rain-spattered window, and quickly ducked by the couch to avoid being spotted. More knocking echoed through the living room, and Stan looked to Parker with a cross between determination and slight fear.

"I'm gonna see who it is," he whispered, nodding to the front door. "You stay here."

Parker nodded quietly and watched her friend slowly get up and hurry to the door. He pressed flush against it and glanced back at her with a reassuring look. He counted down on his fingers three, two, one, and flung the door open. Who was standing there in the rain surprised the both of them.

"Butters?"

The timid blonde blinked owlishly at the surprised tone in his friends' voices, but smiled shyly and waved. "Uh, hey fellas," he greeted bashfully. "Do you mind if I come in?"

"Get in here before you catch sick," Parker said, getting up and running to him. She led him in by the hand and told him to wait there while she fetched him a towel, leaving him and Stan alone. The boys exchanged a smile before the brunette returned and handed the drenched teen a fluffy dry towel. As Butters dried himself off with a happy 'Thanks,' Parker looked from him to the window then back to him.

"Why in the hell were you out in that storm, Butters?" she asked.

The blonde boy flinched at the tone in his friend's voice. "I-I tried calling Cartman, but he wouldn't answer, so I thought maybe he was here with you guys."

"He wouldn't answer?" Stan asked. "Hmm…that's not like him. I wonder if - "

Parker looked at him worriedly. "You don't think he ran into Craig out there, do you?"

"Craig?" Butters echoed. "Why would he be all the way out there?"

"I dunno, but…he could be planning something bad…"

Someone's phone went off, blaring an annoyingly cute ringtone through the darkened living room. With an embarrassed chuckle, Butters answered his call and looked toward the window as if waiting for the caller to show up outside. "H-Hello?"

"Butters?" It was Cartman.

"Eric! Oh thank goodness you called back! How is everything? Are you okay out there?"

A sigh could be heard on the other end of the line followed by a forced laugh. "Dude, chill out Butters. Everything's fine on my end…besides the FUCKING RAIN!" Butters had to pull the phone away from his ear and rub it after the loud scream, but soon put it back up and laughed guiltily. "Dammit, sorry Butters. I'm just really pissed off that we got flooded when the weatherman said it would be sunny all weekend."

"I know, Eric," Butters replied, grinning goofily. "It's okay though; hopefully it'll clear up by morning right?"

"Yeah, hopefully." The sound of something rustling could be heard in the background, as well as a faint voice some distance away. The blonde guessed he was watching the news. "So, what are you doing?"

He looked to his friends smiling at him and smiled back. "I'm with Stan and Parker right now, actually. See, I thought you were here with them and well, since I couldn't get a hold of you at first, I came over to check and see." His cheeks grew warm at the confession and his eyes fell to the floor. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay is all…"

Cartman could be heard smiling through the phone and chuckled. "Thanks, Butters; I appreciate your concern. Don't worry, I'll let you know if anything happens to me. Okay?"

"Okay, Eric."

"Alright, well I think I'm gonna try to get some sleep now. I'm exhausted. I'll call you in the morning."

Butters nodded. "Sure thing, sleep well Eric. Night-night." He pulled the phone away from his ear and clicked the End Call button, and turned back to his friends with a smile. "He says everything is fine. He just must not have heard the phone ringing, that's all."

Stan smiled and let out a sigh he didn't realize he was holding in. "Good, so I take it Craig's not out that way…at least, not yet."

"Way to think positive, Stan," Parker said, rolling her eyes. As much as she tried to play it off as a joke, she knew the boys could still hear the fear in her voice. They seemed as uncomfortable with the thought as she was.

The timid boy looked out the window at the pouring rain and cringed. "As much as I don't want to, I guess I better head back home." He laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head bashfully. "If my dad finds out I'm not asleep in my room, I'm gonna get grounded…so I'll see you two later." He bid a quick goodbye to his friends before rushing back out the front door, waving as he ran down the street back to his home. Stan and Parker waved with a smile until he was out of view, and turned to face each other.

"Think he'll be okay?" Stan asked.

Parker nodded with a silly grin to hide her worry. "Yeah; the worst that'll happen is him catching a cold." She chuckled softly to herself and walked back to the stairs. "Come on, I got board games up in the closet we can play."

* * *

><p>It was close to noon when Parker woke up the next day. She groaned and picked her head up off the floor, squinting tiredly when she saw that she and Stan passed out during a game of Connect Four. With slow hands, she reached up and picked off the black pieces sticking to her forehead and cracked a grin. How did she manage to sleep with those things digging into her skull?<p>

'I didn't realize we were that tired,' she mused, rising to her feet. Carefully she tiptoed past Stan and opened her bedroom door to head to the bathroom. Some few minutes later she returned and found the noirette starting to stir awake, and grinned. 'Too perfect…' Quietly she snuck up behind him and waited until he was just awake enough to get up, and roughly covered his eyes with her hands.

"AH FUCK!" he screamed, swatting at her hands. "DUDE, FUCKING COLD-ASS HANDS!"

"Morning," Parker laughed, taking her hands away. "Sleep well, Red?"

Stan looked up at her, confused. "Red? Wait…oh." He reached up and peeled his colored checker piece off his cheek, and couldn't hold back an amused little grin. "Ah, that's what was digging into me all night," he mumbled, shaking his head. He stood and stretched with a loud yawn, making the brunette let one out herself despite not having to moments before. "So…what's the plan for today?"

Parker shrugged, smiling. "I'm good for anything. It's only Saturday, after all; Cartman should be back tomorrow evening, right?"

"Yeah, maybe even tonight if it rains again like last night."

"Hmm…speaking of…" She paced over to the window and peered out: everything looked soaked, but with the sun out and roasting, it would all dry up in a matter of hours. Parker smiled. "I think today will be a good one," she said more to herself than to Stan. Turning on her heel and making a bee line for the closet, she casually asked, "You need to get in the bathroom at all? I'm gonna shower."

"Nah I'm good."

"Alrighty, be out soon." A flash of brunette vanished through the door and the shower could be heard starting shortly after. Stan waited in her room while she bathed, looking around and deciding to clean up the game they played the night before. His mind wandered to Cartman and how he was holding up on the trip, but was quickly brought back to the here-and-now when Parker returned with a towel wrapped around her hair and a rather boyish-looking outfit on.

"Dude, you look…wow…"

"What? Is it bad?"

Stan laughed and shook his head, assuring his friend that nothing was bad. "No, it's just you look nice today."

"Really?" Parker looked down at her outfit and smiled; her tight blue jeans clung snugly to her thin legs and hung slightly off her hips, while her red plaid long-sleeve shirt fit just right around her torso, effectively hiding her chest. All in all, she looked like the perfect boy. She smiled wider and looked back up at Stan, giving him a thumbs-up. "Thanks, man. I love wearing stuff like this, but never really get the chance to often."

The noirette frowned. "You should wear it more, then. It really looks good on you." He smiled and patted her head, silently reminding her of the towel she still wore around her hair. She looked up and chuckled before excusing herself back to the bathroom to fix her hair. When she was done and her glasses were on, the two ran downstairs, threw on their shoes and ran out the door, ready to take on the day.

* * *

><p>The light flickered in the dank room, giving everything an eerie, threatening feel. He sat on the washer silently, swinging his legs back and forth slightly and leaning back against the shelf behind his head. He didn't know how long he'd stayed like this, but he did know the longer this kept up, the sooner he'd get found out – and the more his thoughts and anger would fester under the skin. Clouded, dull eyes drifted to the window, taking in the few rays of sunlight. Days like this he wished he didn't have to hide in the shadows.<p>

"You're thinking again, aren't you?"

A nod, his eyes not even bothering to find the source of the voice.

"You know what has to be done…"

He sighed. "I know…I'm waiting for the perfect moment…"

A smirk crossed his face and a low chuckle filled the room, finally making the other boy's eyes come to rest on him. "Leave that to me. In the meantime, don't lose that." He motioned to the box next to the boy's hand and smirked once more before taking his leave. The other boy blinked dully and turned his gaze back to the window.

'Yes, Master…'

* * *

><p>The duo walked down the street, smiling and taking in the sunshine and warm breeze. Days like today were perfect, and that was really saying something coming from a kid living in the town of South Park; the weather was usually either snow or sun, never really an in-between. Stan sighed in content and looked around at all the busy people on the street, while Parker took a look up at the sky and smiled at the big fluffy clouds. Suddenly a thought struck her, and she tapped Stan's shoulder excitedly.<p>

"Dude," she said, smiling, "let's go get a slushie and find shapes in the clouds!"

Stan blinked, and immediately Parker felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. She should have known that the idea was stupid. When he smiled, however, she was taken aback in surprise. "That actually sounds pretty fun," he replied, grinning.

"Wait, really? You don't think that sounds dumb?"

"No," he said, looking at her in shock. "Why would I think that?"

Parker shrugged, cheeks flushed and eyes downcast to the ground. "Boys don't usually like doing that childish, girly stuff…I just figured you'd be the same, that's all."

The noirette blinked and smiled to himself before wrapping his arms around his startled friend with a chuckle. "Parker," he explained, "I'm not like every other guy, okay? I like doing things most other guys might not even think twice about." He smiled wider and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "I don't care if something is childish or girly or whatever; if it's something I like doing, I'll do it without a problem. Okay?"

"O-Okay…sorry."

"Don't be sorry, silly." He hugged her tightly with his one arm and dropped his hand down to take her hand in his. "Now come on; those slushies aren't going to make themselves!" He raced ahead, pulling Parker along by the hand and laughing as she tried to keep up running. Together the two darted past the busy people, weaving through the flood of men, women, and children walking toward them, and calling back rushed apologies whenever they bumped into someone or knocked someone over. They fought against the current, running headfirst into crowds and slipping past everyone in their way, and soon the little candy shop came into view, and the two teens let out an excited laugh before nearly crashing into the door. The owner inside looked up, scared half to death, but quickly smiled and waved them inside.

"Well, hello there boys," he said cheerily.

"Hello," Stan and Parker greeted, smiling. The two scanned the small shop and quickly made their way back to the slush machine, eager to create their ideal summer drink. The noirette made quick work with his hands, grabbing a large foam cup and positioning it under a nozzle. With little effort, he pulled the handle down and watched with a wide smile as light blue slush poured into his cup, and clasped the lid on tightly when it was full. Parker, on the other hand, filled her large foam cup full of blackish-purple slush, prompting a confused look from Stan. She smiled and poked her tongue out as she closed the lid over her cup, and then the two paid for their drinks, bid the old man goodbye, and rushed back out into the summer sun on their way to the elementary school playground.

"Hey Stan?"

He looked to her, sipping his slushie. "Uh?"

With a flick of her wrist, she shoved her slush under his nose and smiled wide, eyes sparkling with excitement. "Taste this!" When he did uncertainly and gave her a surprised yet awe-struck look, she giggled and said, "I know, right? It's Monster flavor! That is so cool!"

Stan nodded, pleasantly shocked. "Must be new…oh hey, we're here." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and grinned mischievously. "I bet I can beat you to the swings."

"Yeah right," the brunette scoffed. Stan stopped in his tracks and raised his brows at her as if to say 'Really?' before suddenly bolting off toward the swings laughing. Right behind him, caught off-guard, raced Parker, a determined and amused look on her face. Neck and neck the two ran, both clutching their drinks tightly, and finally in the blink of an eye Parker was flying forward on the swing by her stomach, laughing a bit wheezily. Stan dropped himself down and smiled goofily at his friend.

"Okay, I get it," he chuckled, "you won. Yippee."

"Don't be jealous," Parker laughed, slowing her swing to a stop and getting up off her gut. She spun on her heel and took a seat next to Stan, sipping at her Monster slush. "I won this time since you won the Soul Caliber battle. Are we even?"

Stan couldn't stop the grin from spreading across his face. "Yeah…we're even."

Parker smiled and nodded to herself, sipping again at her drink. Her eyes darted up to the sky eagerly, only to find few wispy clouds streaking across the sky – not the big fluffy clouds she had hoped would be there. Despite her disappointment she still kept a smile on her face, and opted instead to look around the playground. She hadn't gone to South Park Elementary, but the feel of it comforted her. Birds flew and chattered about, some coming to rest on the top of the swing set, and the brunette let out a happy little sigh; she didn't need to attend this school to know it was full of good memories. She looked back toward the building and caught sight of something odd.

"Hey Stan?"

"Yeah?"

She pointed ahead at the side of the building. "What's that?"

Stan's eyes followed hers to come to rest on the foreign object by the side of the building. Raising an eyebrow, he slowly said, "I don't…know…wanna check it out?"

"What if it's something dangerous?"

The noirette stayed silent, thinking. Finally he stood up, set his drink down next to the swing, and replied, "Well, we won't know until we find out. Come on."

Parker's eyes widened slightly, but nevertheless she rose out of her swing and followed her friend closer to the unknown object. They could see from a distance it was some article of clothing, and when they were right in front of it, Parker gasped and Stan hissed; the clothing was Craig's hat and blue jacket.

"Dude…"

Stan eyed the hat and jacket, head spinning in disbelief. Had Craig been there watching the two the entire time? Had he been following them around, hidden among the other people in plain sight? Chills shot down the noirette's spine as he staggered backwards away from the clothes. His heart was racing and his mind was asking a thousand questions at once. His eyes darted around, looking for the one-armed teen, and he felt it was getting harder to breathe.

"Parker," he rasped, "we have to go. Now."

"Right," the brunette uttered, panic-stricken. The two couldn't tear their eyes away from the clothes, but forced themselves to turn on their heels and run back toward the swings in fear. They didn't stop; they bent low, swiped their drinks up from the ground, and continued running far away until they were near the high school. Their lungs were on fire and their hearts felt ready to explode, but they were determined to stay safe. After all, how hard would it be to find a person with a missing arm? Parker looked around to scout the area, and smiled in relief when results came up clear and safe.

"No sign of him," she said, relieved.

Stan nodded, mouth open and breathing hard. "G-Good," he panted. "You know, t-those things of his might h-have been there a long time b-before we saw them. They looked kinda raggedy after all." He greedily sucked down half of his slightly-melted slush, and sighed in content when his throat was cooled. When he saw Parker drink down the rest of hers as he had, he chuckled breathlessly. "What do you say we get something else to drink? I'm still really thirsty."

Parker smiled. "Sounds good to me," she agreed, nodding.

The two friends discarded their empty cups and made their way through the winding streets in search of the little candy shop again. As they walked, Parker noticed Stan's eyes starting to droop slightly. He yawned and slowed his pace; Parker could see he was really tired.

"Hey Stan, are you…okay…?" Her feet felt like lead blocks attached to her legs. Her mind was slowing and shutting down. She felt like she was wading through waist-high mud. The walking slowed to a wobbly stop before she fell forward and collapsed on the hot sidewalk, darkness blinding her and leaving her detached from the waking world around her.

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><p>Cliffhanger! Stick around to find out what happens ;D Reviews get it in faster everybody!<p> 


	46. Chapter 46

A wicked snicker echoed through the eerie room, falling on temporarily-deafened ears. He busied himself gathering any necessary supplies, while the brunette slowly began to stir. She opened her eyes blearily and looked around, and panicked; she found herself in some unknown, god-forsaken little dark room with chills running rampant along her body. She struggled to get to her feet, but quickly realized she was tied down to a chair by her ankles and wrists. The rope bit painfully into her skin the worse she struggled to escape. Desperate, she cried out for help and was met with a dark, manic cackle.

"Nobody can hear you, Parker…"

Her voice stopped dead in its tracks and her body went deathly still. She knew that voice.

"It's just us now," he murmured evilly. Footsteps echoed through the small room and stopped just behind the bound brunette. She didn't know whether to turn to look or stay still, so instead she squeezed her eyes shut and desperately willed herself to disappear. When another laugh rang in her ears and a hand roughly tangled itself in her hair, her heart stopped. This was really happening. He did something to her drink to knock her out, and now she was here.

"What did you do?" Her voice came out barely audible and hoarse.

"To your drinks or to Stan?" the grinning teen asked.

Parker's heart dropped at the mention of her friend's name coming from Craig's mouth. Scared tears sprang to her eyes, but she refused to let them fall; he wouldn't see her break down so easily. "Where…where is Stan…?"

Silence. The brunette tensed, bracing herself for the worst. With a shaky voice she asked again and waited. The silence was deafening and suffocating; it weighed her down like a ton of bricks, crushing the hope right out of her. Finally Craig cracked another chilling grin and walked away, leaving Parker practically shaking in her binds.

"C-Craig…? Craig!" She struggled, trying not to cry from fear. "Dammit Craig, answer me! What did you do with Stan!"

Eerie chuckling echoed through the room. The very sound made Parker shudder violently and squeeze her eyes shut once again. "Now where's the fun in telling you?" he countered sadistically. The sound of metal scraping slightly perked the scared girl's ears up, and her head whirled around to try and see what the crazed teen was doing. His laugh grew from a chuckle to a full-fledged psychotic cackle and just as quickly as it came, it died out once he was back within the brunette's sight. She saw, to her horror, a long sharpened knife clutched tightly – almost lovingly, in fact – in Craig's hand. She chalked the trembling up to insanity and adrenaline. The dark-haired boy leaned down over her immobile body and grinned wider, flashing her reflection back at her in the knife. Her heart was racing and her mind was reeling, but she'd be damned if she gave Craig the satisfaction of seeing her this scared. Slowly he raised the blade's edge up to her cheek and surprised her: his manic smile faded to a blank stare.

"Maybe you should ask yourself that question," he whispered, eyes never blinking and staring deep into Parker's. "Isn't it strange that everyone you get close to suddenly finds themselves dead…?"

"That's…" Her eyes welled up with frightened tears. "That's not true…"

Craig tilted his head and squatted down to eye-level with the bound girl. "Isn't it…? Think back, Parker: you got close to Tweek once. Where is he now? And Wendy?" He rose to his feet and slowly circled her, blank stare never faltering. "Bebe?" Standing behind her he leaned down close to her ear to whisper just loud enough to hit her where it hurts. "Tell me, Parker, where are your friends Kyle and Kenny right now?"

She couldn't hold it back anymore. A loud, soul-crushing sob wracked through her, echoing off the dank walls and filling Craig's ears with the music he so craved to hear. His sadistic smirk reappeared and a soft chuckle made itself heard before he sauntered into Parker's blurred vision. He watched her cry with a victorious grin and grabbed a fistful of her hair without warning. She hissed in pain and looked up at Craig with furious tears in her eyes. He smirked down at her tauntingly. Cold metal made contact with the skin under the brunette's chin, and she gasped at the unexpected and scary touch. She felt the tip of the blade bite into her skin, and winced at the slight sting. Warmth slowly trickled down her neck as neither she nor Craig looked away from the other's hate-filled eyes.

"Everyone is dead because of you," Craig spat, narrowing his red eyes. "It's all your fault and you know it, Parker. Admit it."

"No…"

He pushed the blade deeper into her skin, emitting a whimper from her. "ADMIT IT!"

"NO! IT'S NOT MY FAULT!"

Everything went silent between the two teens and finally Craig sighed in defeat. He slowly pulled the knife out of Parker's jaw and knelt down beside her. In a surprising act of kindness (or maybe it was clarity?) he pulled his shirt off and held it against Parker's wound. His eyes still burned in hate, yet in that instant they almost looked somewhat sad. Was he finally starting to realize what he was doing? Was he remembering life before insanity? He was silent a moment before casting his gaze down at the floor. "You know," he murmured sadly, "you're not the only one hurting here…there's not a day that goes by that I don't think of him…" Unshed tears gleamed behind those red eyes followed by a shaky sigh. "He was…he was my best friend…everything was going fine…until you showed up." He glanced back up at her with tears staining his face. "That's when everything started to change. Before you came to town, I was perfectly fine. Before you showed up, I knew I'd see all my friends in class the next day." He stood and glared down at her with glowing red eyes, still shining with fresh tears. "Before you showed up, I actually had both of my arms." His shirt was pulled back and tossed across the room, landing crumpled and forgotten in a dark corner. When Parker looked up from the spot it landed in, her heartbeat just about stopped. He stood and watched, not speaking a word. How long had he been there?

"You know you can stop this from happening again," Craig whispered in a mix between sadness and anger.

Parker reluctantly tore her terrified gaze away from Slender Man and stared up at Craig, eyes wide with terror and sorrow. "…How…?"

"End it." He stared her down with blank unblinking eyes. "Everything will change. No more people will die. You'll finally be at peace. We all will." Heavy footsteps sounded off the walls as he came up behind her, and in one swift motion her hands were cut free from their rope prison. She raised her eyebrows in confusion at his act of kindness, to which he replied by shaking his head. "All of this can stop, Parker. All you have to do…" He motioned toward the knife in his hand with his head. "…is end it…"

Her eyes lingered on the sharpened weapon in the insane teen's hand. For a second – a very split second – she actually contemplated doing it. She snapped back to reality and shook her head in horror at her own willingness to do it. What the hell was wrong with her! "No!" she yelled, closing her hands over her ears as if trying to block out a horrible sound. "I won't do it! Killing myself won't change anything!"

Craig watched her, tilting his head slightly to the side. "Won't it…?" He dropped down to his knees before her and stared deeply into her horrified brown eyes. "Sure would be a shame if anything happened to Cartman and Butters…just think, they would finally be safe and free from all the horrors of what's been happening around them. None of this happened before you came to town. I'd hate to see your last remaining friends die off because of you…" The despair on his face was genuine as he set the knife in Parker's lap, silently telling her to take it. "The choice is yours, I suppose…" With that he rose up off the ground and crossed the room to stand beside the faceless being in the corner. They looked at each other before slowly making their way to a small old door a few steps away. Before they disappeared from sight, Craig turned back to the motionless girl and whispered, "I just hope you make the right choice, is all…" After that, he was gone, leaving Parker alone in the darkening room with tears running down her face and a weapon in her lap.

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><p>His eyes twitched and finally opened, revealing bright light and softness beneath his body. Confused, he looked around and found himself surrounded by Hello Kitty stuffed animals and fluffy blankets. This wasn't right; he remembered being outside before falling into the black. How did he end up here? As if hearing his thoughts, none other than Butters walked into the room, carrying a glass of water and a bottle of aspirin. The blonde boy looked up in surprise but otherwise smiled that his friend was finally awake.<p>

"Well good morning, Stan," he said a bit nervously. "What happened?"

Stan sat up and groaned at the pain he felt all over. "Dude, I don't even know…wait…" He looked around in a sudden panic, then looked up at Butters with wide eyes. "Where's Parker?"

The blonde gave him a sad look. "I-I dunno, Stan…when I found you up near the elementary school she wasn't anywhere to be found. I'd just assumed she went home or something."

"Fuck…FUCK!" The raven-haired teen jumped up from his resting spot and landed hard on his feet on the floor. Upon impact, his legs gave way under his weight and he was sent crashing down with a surprised and angry yelp. Butters immediately rushed to help him up, and gave him a worried look.

"Parker was with you when you…you…what were you doing on the ground anyway?"

"Fucking Craig…! He, he must have drugged out drinks when we weren't looking!" He struggled to get away and run towards the door, but his legs were like Jell-O once again. With a frustrated growl he proceeded to crawl to the exit, prompting a scared look from the timid blonde. "FUCK, WE HAVE TO FIND HER!"

Butters looked to the window, noticing the growing darkness outside. "Are you sure she's not at home, Stan? I mean, surely somebody would have found her and brought her back home, right?" When he looked back to Stan and was met with a glare, he dropped his gaze to the floor. "I'm just trying to look on the brighter side of things, Stan. I don't want to think of anything bad happening to her."

The raven sighed and nodded, feeling bad for hurting his friend's feelings. "I-I know, I'm sorry Butters. Listen, we just really have to find her before…" His voice trailed off and he shook his head, shooing the bad thoughts away. "Please, we just need to get her back here safe. Will you help me?"

Butters nodded, tiny smile growing on his face. "Yeah, but first I think we need to get your legs working again."

"…Fucking legs…"

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><p>The brunette sat silently in the small room, illuminated only by a lonely flickering light bulb hanging above her head. The darkness outside was overpowering; even with the light in the room, she was still mostly hidden in the shadows. The knife in her lap hadn't moved since Craig had put it there but so many questions were running through her mind. Was Craig right? Would everything go back to normal if she died? What would happen to her friends? Would Slender Man finally go away forever and leave everyone to live in peace? She stared down at the knife with tears running down her face and watched the reflection on the surface; even the girl reflected seemed to long for death. With shaky hands, she hesitantly lifted the blade and stared at it. Maybe quick would be less painful. No, she would make it as painful as possible. She deserved to feel the pain all of her friends and their families felt. Fresh tears fell hot and heavily as she extended her free arm and touched the edge to her skin.<p>

"I'm sorry everyone…" she whispered.

A loud crashing sound made her jump and pull the blade away from her arm. Wide, terrified eyes shot up to the ceiling of the room and followed the noises across what she presumed to be the upstairs living room to another room, and then finally down a set of stairs to the hallway outside the room she sat in. She shook violently from fear, and when loud banging sounded against the door before her, she had to cover her mouth as not to scream.

"PARKER! IT'S STAN AND BUTTERS! DUDE, ARE YOU IN THERE!" More frenzied banging on the door. They must have been trying to break it down to rescue her. "PLEASE ANSWER! LET US KNOW YOU'RE OKAY!"

Finding her voice, Parker shouted back a shaky, "S-Stan, I'm fine! Where's Craig?"

"IT DOESN'T MATTER, HE'S NOT HERE! WE'RE GETTING YOU OUT OF HERE!" The banging stopped momentarily before running footsteps could be heard and a loud crash shook the door. They were running and body slamming the door! One attempt after another proved fruitless until finally, as strong as he possibly could, Stan ran at the door and slammed into it with all of his might, and the door busted off its hinges and crashed down to the floor. The raven and the blonde looked in and found her bound with a knife in her hand, and Stan sent her the meanest, most horrorstruck look before marching up to her and grabbing the knife blade-first and yanking it out of her grip. "Don't ever let me catch you like that again," he warned, glaring at her like she'd never seen before.

Butters looked around nervously and fidgeted in place. He glanced back into the hall behind him and almost whimpered. "Guys, I-I think we should get out of here fast," he said nervously. "Who knows when Craig will be back?"

"Right," Stan muttered. He looked down at the rope holding the brunette's legs to the chair and frowned. "Hold still, Parker." He squatted down and flipped the knife around, and hooked under the binds. Looking up to meet the scared girl's eyes, he swiped upward and freed her, then angrily whipped the weapon across the wall to crash into the wall behind her. "Come on," he said, standing and pulling her to her feet. He turned and nodded at Butters, and together the three of them ran like hell down the hall, up the stairs, and across the living room out the door.

"How did you guys find me?" Parker asked as they ran for their lives.

Stan looked at her. He was still pissed about the knife, she could tell. "I'll explain later," was his only reply. The three friends ran on into the night, decrepit old trees lining the forgotten road and making Parker's skin crawl. She looked around, fear on high alert, and waited to see some sign of Craig or the Slender Man, but found nothing. Yet. The winding trail led them around for what felt like hours, making all three of them worry that they would wind up lost. Darkness enveloped them, not even a star in the sky to shine some hope on them. Stan knew they should have brought flash lights. Finally, just as they were beginning to lose hope, they saw the familiar dim glow of South Park – of home. Butters and Stan smiled and picked up the pace, grateful to be home, while Parker actually started to slow down and looked back almost sadly. The raven noticed and told Butters to go on ahead. When they were finally alone, Stan turned to her and grabbed the front of her shirt threateningly, making her look up in terror.

"Do you mind explaining what that was about back there?"

Feeling a sudden spark of malice, Parker replied mockingly, "I'll explain later."

The raven narrowed his eyes at her and gripped her shirt tighter, actually lifting her off the ground. Although surprised and scared, the brunette kept a glare on her face and never broke eye contact with Stan. "I'm not fucking joking, Parker," he spat angrily. "Tell me what the fuck you were doing with that knife in your hand back at that house, or else."

"Or else what?" Parker countered.

"Don't push me…"

Parker suddenly brought her knee up into Stan's gut, making him gasp and drop her to the ground, and grabbed his stomach in pain. He looked up with loathing in his eyes and lunged at the surprised girl, pinning her to the ground and grabbing her throat. She stared up at him in shock, but quickly tried to cover it with another glare; too late, Stan already saw how she really reacted. It only seemed to fuel his anger. His grip around her neck tightened slightly, just enough to let her know he wasn't kidding, and he leaned down to whisper, "Do that again, and you'll regret it. Got it?" She hesitated at first, but finally gave in and nodded when he squeezed tighter. He got up and held his hand out to help her up, and the two walked back to town in silence. This was going to be a long night.

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><p>The front door slammed shut when the two walked in. Parker noticed it was empty; Stan's parents must have been asleep or gone. Lucky her. When Stan gave her a menacing look she begrudgingly followed him up the stairs to his bedroom, and closed the door behind her. The raven trudged ahead and dropped himself onto his bed with a heavy sigh. He didn't even bother saying a word to Parker since the incident on the creepy road. Even now, sitting on his bed with his face in his hands, he refused to utter a sound to her. She couldn't help but feel a little unwanted; she didn't care much for this feeling. She watched him with sad eyes and stayed silent, not knowing what to say or do.<p>

Stan sighed again and lifted his head, eyes closed and brows knitted in annoyance. His hands clasped together on his lap and his head remained slightly bowed. It almost looked like he was praying, Parker noticed. Finally he opened his eyes and stared head-long at the brunette, anger still burning behind those ocean eyes. Parker nearly flinched under his gaze, but caught herself before it happened. Neither teen blinked or averted their gaze, tension in the air grew to unbearable proportions, and both were tense and ready to attack. Parker's temper flared the longer she locked eyes with Stan: she knew if this kept up much longer, she'd fly at him in anger.

"What?" she barked, eyes narrowing slightly.

"Don't get an attitude with me," Stan said sternly. "I wanna know why you were holding a knife in that basement. Now."

"None of your business…"

In a flash Stan rose up and was at Parker's side. His hand wrapped around her small wrist almost painfully and his eyes were narrowed dangerously and threateningly. He whispered in her ear, softly but loud enough to scare her, "I swear, you will regret this, Parker. Tread carefully."

Parker's heart sped up slightly from fear, but she otherwise kept up her façade and glared at him most venomously. Acting on instinct, she lashed out and slapped him as hard as she could across the face, sending a loud crack of skin against skin through the room and leaving a deep red handprint on the raven's cheek. Her eyes widened in shock at her own actions. Stan completely stopped everything he was doing to stare at her in surprise; he would be beyond pissed in a minute, but for now his expression was pure disbelief. Parker could feel the storm coming, and immediately braced herself. Suddenly Stan growled and grabbed both her wrists and knocked her to the ground, sending her fear skyrocketing. She tried to fight back and block him, but it was no use; he'd pinned her wrists above her head and held her down in place with his other hand just under her ribs. She struggled and kicked and tried to wiggle out of his grasp, but it was no use. With an animalistic growl, Stan leaned down and caught her bottom lip between his teeth and bit down hard. Parker stopped in shock and stared up at him with wide, confused, frightened eyes.

'What…WHAT IS HE DOING?' she thought in a panic.

Stan's eyes shut tighter the harder he bit the brunette's lip, prompting another low growl when she whimpered in pain. His hand squeezed around her wrists. He pushed down more under her ribs. Parker let out a scared cry, hoping it would bring Stan back to his senses, but it only made him bite harder, harder, harder until he felt his teeth sink in and pierce the skin. Parker cried out in agony, terrified tears mixing with the blood seeping from her wound and running down her chin. Another growl emitted from the raven-haired teen and his hands moved to tangle themselves painfully in her hair. He pulled back and looked down at her, anger and lust burning behind those half-lidded eyes, but quickly realized what he had just done and scrambled off of her.

"Fuck…! Shit, Parker I…I'm sorry!"

She stared up at him from the floor, eyes still wide and streaming hot tears. When he reached down to help her up, she all but screamed and scuttled into the corner. 'What the fuck just happened?' she asked herself in horror. This wasn't the Stan she knew and loved; this Stan was… Parker pulled herself off the floor and bolted through the bedroom door, down the stairs, and out the front door. She didn't stop running until she reached her house, and slammed the door and locked it tight. No sounds were made, no thoughts were thought, she simply climbed the stairs to her room, closed the door behind her, and curled up on her bed. And she cried. Loudly. She sobbed and screamed, clutching the blankets until her knuckles turned white, and shook with every breath she took. Her throat started to hurt and her head was spinning, but she didn't care. Blood dripped down her chin slowly, making soft little 'plip, plip, plip' sounds against her blanket. God her lip was in so much pain. Her wrists hurt from where Stan held them. Just under her ribcage was in tremendous pain, like Craig had dug his heel into it again. Why was this happening to her? How could she make all of this stop?

'Wait…'

She sniffled and hushed her crying long enough to think, and finally lifted her head up from the bed. Without a word she got up and walked to the door. Slowly she reached out and turned the handle, pushed the door open, and walked out into the hallway. The brunette descended the stairs in somewhat of a hypnotized state, no emotion on her face and not a sound breaking the silence of her house. Her shoes made the softest sound stepping across the kitchen floor and the door leading to the garage creaked upon opening. The light switch was flipped on and Parker looked around, still remaining silent. She shuffled across the small space, looking around and moving various objects. Power tools, lawn equipment, car accessories –

"There it is," she whispered in a hushed tone. She reached out and took it, and turned around to grab a step-stool. "This will make it all stop…" With shaky hands, she pulled the stool into the middle of the room and pulled herself up to stand. As she looked up at the wooden beam and busied herself, a slight, faltering smile spread across her face. "No more bad things…" Her hands secured it in place. "No more friends dying…" The knot was pulled. "Only sweet dreams from now on…" She pulled the rope around her neck and took a deep, shaky breath. With hot tears running down her face, she smiled one last time.

"Goodbye, everyone…"

She kicked the stool away and dropped. A loud snap resonated through the garage. Black flooded her senses before her tears even hit the floor.

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><p>Wow, this came a lot more sadistic and depressing than I intended it to... How will Stan handle this? What happens next...?<p> 


	47. Chapter 47

Ughh it's been soooo long... -_- I'm so sorry everyone! This chapter is short compared to the rest, but I swear I'll make it up to y'all somehow. Anyway, read on and enjoy. Next chappie will be up a lot sooner than this was!

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><p>Stan sat on his bed, head in his hands and furious tears running down his face. Why did he do that? Why did he scare Parker like that? Why did he hurt her? In a blind rage he flew up off his mattress and threw his fist into the nearest wall, smashing a hole right through it. Damn, his hand hurt like hell, but he couldn't feel it. He would later though. He growled in fury and fell to his knees, grabbing at his hair and pulling as hard as he could. An outraged scream passed his lips, echoing quite frightfully off the walls. His head slammed into the floor repeatedly, uncaring of any damage done; he had to put himself in more pain that he put his friend in. A strangled sob escaped him as he slammed his head against the floor again, angry tears falling into the carpet. He knew he had to do something to make this right again.<p>

"Stanley?" Stan's mother knocked on the door and opened it slightly, peering in to check on her son. "Is everything okay, son?"

The raven blinked and looked away, not wanting his mother to see him like this. "Uh, yeah, I'm fine Mom."

"You don't seem like it, sweetie. Tell me what's wrong."

"Well…it's about Parker…"

She nodded, smiling reassuringly to tell Stan it was okay. "Are you two fighting?"

Stan couldn't meet his mom's gaze. Shameful tears built up in his eyes and rolled down his cheeks. "I drew blood…Mom, I'm scared. What have I become…?"

"You hit him? But why?"

That's right; she didn't know Parker was a girl! There was no way she'd believe him if he said otherwise! He couldn't explain now. Then again, he knew she would love him no matter what. Would she see him differently if he explained what happened while keeping up the charade that Parker was a boy? "Um…" Come on Stan, now or never! "I-I bit him…I bit his bottom lip…and pierced the skin to make him bleed…"

Her eyes widened slightly at the confession, but more out of worry than surprise. "Oh Stanley, you should go find him and apologize! It's not nice to do that. Did he forget the safeword?"

"WHAT?"

"Ah, nothing. Now go apologize to him, right now. Tell him you're very sorry, and you'll do anything to make it up to him."

Stan thought for a moment and nodded. "Right. Okay, I'll be back soon. Thanks, Mom." He picked himself up, hugged his mom, and ran out the bedroom door and into the night. He knew his mom was right; he couldn't just sit around and beat himself up over this. He had to make it right again. The night air was warm against his skin as he ran, eager to find his distressed friend and tell her he was sorry. He turned down one street after another and kept running; he knew the way by heart, even in near-pitch-darkness. Once he was finally on her street, his run slowed to a trot and he watched carefully for her house. A few homes had the lights on, but none of them he knew were Parker's. He approached a house and stood on the front porch. This was her house. With a heavy heart, he knocked on the door as hard as he could to be heard, and called out her name.

"Parker? Parker! Please open the door!" He knocked again, trying not to cry. "Please, I'm sorry! I want to make things right! Parker?" He tried turning the doorknob and was surprised to find it unlocked. With much uncertainty he slowly nudged it open and looked around inside: no Parker in sight. His heart began beating faster so he told himself there was nothing to worry about. 'She probably just forgot to lock the door and fell asleep,' he thought, trying to calm himself down. He turned and climbed the stairs, but stopped short when he noticed the garage door open in the kitchen. His throat felt dry. His mind was racing. Slowly he crept back down the steps and into the kitchen. Why was the door open? Did someone break in? Nervously he peered into the garage: nothing. There was nothing there.

"What…? Why is this open?" Confused, Stan grabbed the handle and pulled the door shut. It clicked closed and, after questioning it once more, Stan turned to head back to the stairs and up to Parker's room. His footsteps were unusually heavy going up the stairs; he was worried he might wake his friend if he weren't quieter. After an eternity, he was at the brunette's bedroom door. It was shut. He wondered whether he should just go in or knock and wake her. Either way, he knew, she would be scared and angry to see him, but he also knew this had to be done no matter what. Sucking up any negative feelings, he slowly and silently twisted the handle and let himself in. What lay before him made him jump. "Parker…?"

The brunette lay on her mattress, dressed in the same clothes as earlier, lip still bloody, and hair slightly ruffled from lying on it. The only difference was that her glasses were off. And –

"What the hell…is that…?" Stan crept closer to the sleeping girl to inspect her closer: were those rope marks around her neck? His eyes trailed downward toward her stomach. She seemed to be cradling a doll close to her body. The raven looked harder and suddenly felt chills break out across his body. The doll was a likeness of Kenny, only…different. Creepy. It was much taller than normal Kenny would be, dressed in black, but what really freaked Stan out was the fact that the only facial feature on the doll was an eerie ear-to-ear smile. Did she make this herself? She suddenly stirred, groaning softly in sleep and turning her head to the side facing away from Stan. The raven's heartbeat jumped at the unexpected movement, but he dared not make a sound. When the brunette's movements settled, he reached out with a shaky hand and nudged her shoulder.

"Parker? You awake?"

The girl at first didn't move. Nervously Stan tried again to bring her out of her slumber, doing so much as to rest his whole shaking hand on her arm and give one strong shove; she still didn't move. Only when he cleared his throat did she start to stir again. He quietly murmured her name, keeping anxious eyes on her sleeping form, and nearly jumped out of his skin when her eyes flew open with a loud gasp.

"Shit!" Stan screamed, flinching away from the now-wide-awake brunette. "A-Are you okay, Parker?"

The frightened girl stared up at the ceiling, seemingly in a daze, and looked over to stare headlong at the invasive Stan. Her eyes darkened in anger at the sight of him. She propped herself up on her elbow and glared at him, sending a shudder through his entire body even from across the room. The combination of tired and angry on her face was almost enough to make Stan's heart stop from fear. In one fluent movement Parker slipped out of bed, stomped up to get in Stan's face, and punched him as hard as she could right in the nose. Surprised, he stumbled back and fell, smashing the back of his head against the wall and flopping down to the floor in a bloody mess. He looked up at Parker, surprise and fear and rage present in his eyes, and growled out a pissed-off, "I only wanted to make sure you were alright!"

"I'm fine," came Parker's only reply. With one last venomous glare she turned on her heel and walked back to her bed, determined to get back to sleep. Suddenly she stopped mid-step: she just realized she wasn't in her bed before she blacked out. Her eyes grew wide and fearful at the sudden insight. Goosebumps broke out across her body. She felt sick. Trembling, she turned to Stan. "Did you bring me up here?"

Confused, Stan shook his head. "No…why?"

Parker fell silent. Scared. Her eyes drifted back over to her bed, immediately spotting the Kenny doll. 'Oh no…' Her knees buckled under her and her whole body began shaking. He was back, she knew it. It had to be him! Either that, or Slender Man was fucking with her. As much as she feared it, she edged over to her mattress and inspected the toy – every detail both welcoming and terrifying, just like him. Stan stood rooted to the spot, watching her with concern. For a moment – just a fleeting second – he thought he saw her smile and quickly frown again. Were his eyes playing tricks on him? After a while, it seemed, she looked up, brought out from her trance, and stared out the window with a frightened, forlorn look on her drained face. She looked ready to cry.

"Hey," Stan crooned, "you okay, Parker?"

She dismissed his question. Her eyes searched the darkened sky, seeking answers; answers to why she felt this way, why she felt sad when he was gone yet felt petrified whenever he drew near, why she missed him dearly yet dreaded seeing his faceless form in close proximity. She supposed it wasn't himself she longed for, but the way he used to be before he fell in too deep. Tears pooled behind her chocolate eyes and slipped past without her notice. A shaky sigh escaped her, landing on Stan's ears, and slowly she crumpled on her knees onto the floor, eyes still gazing outward toward the night sky. Stan, sensing her thoughts, strode up to her and picked her up, and held her tightly against him in hopes of bringing her out of her sadness.

"Please cheer up, dude," he whispered, clutching her tighter. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, gently nuzzling her skin like a puppy. Her body tensed before slightly shaking, trembling before the tears started falling. Stan couldn't stand to see her like this; he wanted to help any way possible. "Would you smile if I let you hit me?"

Parker shook her head, silent sobs racking her body.

"Would you smile if I hit myself?"

Again, a silent shake of the head.

Stan thought. Tentatively he murmured, "Would you smile if I kissed you?"

Parker looked up at him, eyes wide and tear-filled, and quietly she pondered the question. After everything that's happened would she really feel better after a kiss from her friend? What would that make them? More importantly, would HE find out and kill Stan like all the others? Was she really ready to risk losing the last living friend she had?

"S-Stan…" The brunette reached up to wipe her eyes dry and sniffled, eyes never leaving the boy's in front of her. Her lips parted, ready to speak, but quickly closed again at a loss for words. "I-I can't…I'm sorry…"

The raven-haired boy smiled apologetically. "Don't be," he replied simply. "I understand. How about we just lay in bed for a while? I'll leave after you fall asleep if it makes you feel better. Deal?"

Parker didn't reply. Her eyes fell to the floor, but quickly looked back up when Stan pet her hair comfortingly. Uncertainly, she uttered a faint, "Okay…" Stan smiled warmly and embraced her, resting his chin atop her head before gently sitting her down and climbing into bed next to her. He pulled the blanket up over their chests and nuzzled into the crook of her neck again, quietly shushing her when she began to tremble. After a while her shaking ceased, her breathing returned to normal, and her eyes began to droop as her body readied itself for sleep. Stan laid beside her the entire time, silently watching her with a little smile on his face.

"Sweet dreams, Parker," he whispered.

* * *

><p>Like I said: short. Brain farts and no free time are a writer's worst enemies, am I right? And now, I'd like to give a special shout-out to my friend Kevin who really seems to like my story. TOLD YOU I WROTE IT, MISTER! :P Please be kind everyone, and continue to give me encouraging words to continue on writing~<p> 


	48. Chapter 48

Wow, it's been so very long. My sincerest apologies everyone, I am SO SORRY! D: Please don't be furious, things have been really stressful and hectic for me lately, that's why I haven't had any time to update. But here it is, just as angsty and horrifying as y'all remember. Please don't kill me. .

* * *

><p>Laughter filled the sleeping girl's dreams that night; happy, carefree laughter that she so longed to hear again. She and Stan whipped snowballs at each other while the beautiful white flakes fell all around them. It was magical. Off in the distance, Parker could see Cartman and Butters quickly running toward them, smiles wide and shouts of 'Wait, let us join too!' and impishly she grinned, packed a ball of snow tight, and hurled it in their direction. They laughed and sent one flying back just as they made up to meet their friends, panting slightly and faces flushed from the cold. Cartman was sent to join Stan while Butters stayed paired with the brunette, and together the four of them laughed and played until the sky changed from bluish-grey to a deep indigo of the oncoming night. The teens reluctantly gathered to bid each other farewell, promising of more fun when next they saw each other again.<p>

As Parker turned to part ways with the other boys, a sudden flash of blonde caught her eye. She looked up and gasped; just across the field was Kenny, exactly as she'd seen him so long ago. His orange jacket was tied around his waist, completely useless to his reddening arms. The brunette stood frozen for an eternity before finding the strength in her legs to carry her to her lost friend. His cheeks were tinted a rosy red, his nose bitten by the winter, but his blue eyes sparkled with a mysterious light. He was happy. Happy to see her. Parker ran to catch the blonde, hoping and praying it was really him and not an illusion or a trap. When she finally caught up to him, her breath caught in her throat; he was beautiful, just as she'd remembered.

"Kenny," she murmured, holding her hands to her heart, "you're here..."

The blonde nodded. A tiny smile spread across his pale lips. He reached up to touch her shoulder and sighed softly, eyes still shining. Were those unshed tears in his eyes?

"Parker..." His voice was barely a whisper, soft and fragile like the ever-falling snow blanketing the ground. "I've missed you...so much..." His fingers trailed upwards to her cheek, gently caressing her freezing skin. The simple gesture brought tears to Parker's eyes, and she reached up to hold his hand in hers. "Please, Parker..."

"What is it, Kenny...?"

"Move on with your life," he whispered. Though his smile never faded, tears slowly rolled down his reddened cheeks. "Please, you have to let go...find your true happiness, and forget about me..."

The brunette fell silent, staring at the boy before her. What was he saying? Did he not understand how she felt? How many long months she'd spent thinking of him, wishing he'd come back?

"W-What?" she croaked, heart in her throat. Tears fell down her cheeks, hot against cold burning her face. "Kenny...you don't understand. I've been dreaming of this day for months. You can't...you can't just expect me to move on?" Her heart beat faster, each movement physically hurting inside her chest. "I can't move on, I can't forget...! Kenny...you were my whole world! I can't stop thinking about you! I-I...I love you!"

Kenny smiled a bit wider, but this time it was out of sadness. "And I love you too, Parker. I have since the moment we met...but it's time to let go. I'm not who I used to be...you have to let go, or this monster will kill you..."

"NO! I CAN'T!"

"It's time for me to go...goodbye, Parker..."

"KENNY WAIT - !"

The blonde teen gently kissed the crying girl's trembling lips and began to fade. As much as Parker tried to hold on, her fingers kept slipping through his hand like air. Slowly he was disappearing right before her eyes and there as nothing she could do to stop him. Sobs shook her body as desperately she tried to grab onto him; all efforts failed, until finally the last bits of color from his crying eyes were gone. Parker was left standing alone under the falling snow, enveloped in the bleak empty cold that she felt clutching at her heart. Her body felt as if it were shutting down. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't stand anymore. Her legs collapsed under her, sending her crashing down into the snow face-first. The tears that kept spilling out melted the snow under her, but sadly could not melt the ice surrounding her deadening heart. Without him, she was utterly alone.

"Kenny...K-Ken...ny..."

Slowly the crying girl opened her eyes to find herself back in her room, lying next to a sleeping Stan. She blinked and quickly wiped away her stray tears with the blanket. Had he been there all night? Slowly and carefully she scooted closer to her sleeping friend and curled up against his side, taking comfort in the fact that he'd stayed there despite saying he'd leave after she fell asleep.

"Thank you, Stan."

* * *

><p>The two awoke some hours later, daylight seeping though the window and the birds singing quite loudly. Ah, the days of summer. Stan had already showered after he'd gotten up, which meant Parker hopped in after him. The two had finished getting ready and ventured out to relax at Stan's house. His parents were out shopping, taking along his abusive older sister (much to his relief), which left the two alone to their own devices. Hungry, they decided to forage for food; as luck would have it, there was just enough ice cream for them to share. Lounging on the couch, a cell phone went off, startling both teens. It was for Stan. He picked it up and looked: Cartman was calling.<p>

"Hello?"

"Dude, where are you?"

Stan grinned and rolled his eyes. "In a bear's stomach. Where do you think?"

Cartman laughed on the other end of the line. "Cool, I'll be over in five. I'm back from camping finally. See you soon."

"'Kay, see you soon." Stan hung up and sent a grin Parker's way. "Cartman's back, he'll be here in a few."

The brunette smiled and nodded. "Cool, it's about time. That missing feeling can finally go away." That was only half-truth, considering the dream from the night before. Her smile faltered at the thought, but thankfully her raven-haired friend didn't notice. The two waited for not very long at all before there was a knock at the door. Parker called out to just come in, and the fat teen sauntered in with a relieved sigh. He sat between the others and told of his time camping, groaning at the fact that he was rained out and didn't really have much fun.

"Honestly, I rather would have spent a night getting beaten on by Beb - er..." He and Stan both paled and glanced at Parker; she 'd lost a bit of color in her face as well, silently staring down at the floor and swallowing hard. That night was burned into their memory all too clearly. Subconsciously the brunette rubbed the spot on her hip where her carving was and winced. Awkwardly Cartman coughed and changed the subject, hoping to brush off his mistake. "Uh, so," he started nervously, "how did you guys hold up while I was gone?"

"Fine," Parker mumbled, still playing with her hip.

Stan rubbed the side of his head nervously. "Ah you know; the usual. We hung out and all that. So, anything remarkable happen camping? Did the camp counseller touch your no-no spot?"

Cartman snorted. "Screw you, dude." He looked over to the still-depressed girl and frowned. "Hey, you okay Parker? Listen, I'm sorry I - "

"Nah, it's okay really," Parker replied, snapping out of her trance and looking up at him. "It just...hit kinda hard, you know?"

"Yeah...well, let's do something to our minds off it," Stan suggested smiling a little. "How about a movie?"

"Sure..."

"Sweet."

The three teens hopped up from the couch and left the house, coming face-to-face with the harsh summer sun. Cartman almost wished it would rain again. They strolled leisurely through town, talking about the upcoming school year. None of them were really ready for it. They all knew that the next year would be different, especially with the loss of their close and not-so-close friends. Parker frowned at the realization, trying not to cry. She thought about Craig's words, his promises that everything would change if she were gone. She'd tried to make things right but...how did she end up in her bed instead of hanging from the rafter in her garage? Had Stan cut her down while she wasn't looking? She stole a look at him from the corner of her eyes; he was busy talking to Cartman, eyes ahead of him, drifting off to other thoughts. There was no way he could have known. Even if he had, how could he have beaten her to her house when she ran away before he even got out of his room?

Stan caught her looking and smiled. "What's up, Parker?"

Embarrassed, she blushed and cast her gaze down to the ground. "Uh, nothing. Just thinking is all." She kept her eyes down until the three of them reached the movie theater, bought their tickets, and made it inside. The cool air washed over them, relieving them of the burn from the scorching summer sun. They looked around for a good spot to sit, when the three noticed Butters a few rows away from the back wall. They all rushed up to meet him and sat by the blonde, Stan and Cartman sitting on his left and Parker on his right, and together the friends awaited the start of the movie eagerly. They'd all been waiting forever to see the newest Silent Hill movie. Secretly, Parker had always been scared of that particular franchise, but she couldn't let the guys know that and ruin the day for them. The movie started, making Parker dig her nails into the seat to keep from freaking out. Butters took notice and gently grasped her hand, prompting a nervous whimper out of the frightened girl.

"It'll be okay, Parker. After all," he murmured reassuringly, "it's only a movie."

Parker nodded, trying to swallow her fear. "R-Right, only a m-movie...I'm n-not scared..." What a lie.

* * *

><p>"Woah, that was fuckin' sweet!" Cartman cheered as the four teens exited the theater. "What'd you guys think?"<p>

Butters and Stan nodded in agreement, each trembling from the rush of excitement. Parker tagged along behind, shaking for an entirely different reason. All during the movie she'd tried to hold in her screams and stop her shaking, but both proved pointless. Thank goodness Butters was the only one to notice, and even then he didn't say anything to the others. Maybe it was because the frightened tears leaking down the girl's face that stopped him, or the fact that she quietly begged him not to say anything? Either way, he kept her secret and held her hand tightly during the film so she could feel safer. She was quite thankful. The four friends decided to head back to their homes; surely their parents (especially Butters') would be worried if they stayed out past dark. The setting sun off in the horizon looked deceivingly peaceful, innocent in fact, as the teens made their way across town; Parker knew the terrifying truth. It was only a matter of time.

"G-Guys," she stuttered, glancing around, "the night is still young. Why d-don't we hang out a while longer, huh?"

Stan and Cartman turned back and gave her a strange look. "Dude, are you scared?"

The brunette flushed. "N-No! Well, maybe a little...I just...eh, nevermind..."

"It's okay." Butters beamed at her and stepped closer. "You can stay the night at my house tonight, if you wanted."

"Really?"

Cartman sighed and got an elbow to the ribs from Stan, making Parker and Butters look up in confusion. The fat teen glared at his friend. "Parker," he started, almost annoyed, "you'll be okay for the night. It was just a movie. There's no such thing as monsters."

"Cartman - "

"No Stan, she needs to learn. There are no such things as monsters or ghosts or Slender Man!" He stomped up to her, pushed the blonde out of the way, and grabbed her by the shoulders. "He's not real! He's fake, imaginary, a figment of your imagination! He doesn't exist, and neither does Kenny anymore! He's dead! Get over it already!"

All jaws dropped. Butters stood, stunned at the fat boy's actions. Stan's rage caught in his throat. Parker stared at Cartman, senses dulled and mind whirling. What? How could he say these things? He was supposed to be her friend. A wave of emotions flooded her and suddenly she scowled and kicked him, as hard as she could, square in the balls. He screamed and dropped to his knees, clutching at his shattered jewels, while Parker took the chance to fly past her friends, sobbing and screaming obscenities at the boy she injured. She ignored the shouts from the others; just kept running, tears falling behind her as she ran. The orange-red sky bathed her in its fiery glow, warming her skin despite the cold she felt inside.

'Stupid fatass,' she thought angrily as she ran. 'Who the hell does he think he is anyway! He doesn't know what I know!' She slowed her pace to jogging level to catch her breath. Looking back, she glared, tears still running slowly down her cheeks. "He hasn't seen the things I've seen," she panted, fury and despair laced in every word. "Fuck him. He's not my friend after all..." She sighed in defeat and continued on, fearfully trekking back to her home.

* * *

><p>"Cartman, what the fuck is wrong with you!?"<p>

"Y-Yeah, you really hurt her..."

The fat boy growled and rolled onto his side, glaring up at the other boys behind him. "FUCK THAT MANIC-DEPRESSIVE BITCH!" he screamed, tearing up from the pain. "SHE KICKED ME IN THE FUCKING NUTS! I THINK SHE POPPED ONE!"

Stan furrowed his brows and huffed. "You kinda deserved it."

"FUCK OFF STAN!"

"Uh, guys..." Butters stared off in the direction the furious girl ran and frowned. "You don't think she'd..."

"What?" Cartman asked, trying to pull himself up.

Stan knew instantly what Butters was getting at. Worried, he held a hand out to help Cartman up and looked off where the nervous blonde was staring. "We should probably go find her."

* * *

><p>Parker carefully unlocked her front door and peered in; nothing so far. Good. She'd noticed her dad's truck was gone. He must have been out working still. Scared of what might happen in her no-longer-safe home, she'd planned to make a quick dash to her room, grab some clothes, and run to Stan or Butters' house to stay the night. If one thing was for sure, she wouldn't try to prove Cartman right. Another brief but close inspection of the living room and kitchen showed no threat, and she quietly tiptoed up the stairs to her room. She was too scared to turn on any lights in fear of finding something staring her down, so instead she opted to use her sense of touch to find her way. Smooth, cool walls were her friend. Silent stairs were her lovers. A rush filled her - a feeling of invincibility flooded her body and mind - and she felt almost untouchable. She nearly felt brave enough to switch the lights on, in fact. Soon enough she'd reached the top of the stairs, and felt for her door with ease.<p>

'Wait, what am I doing?' she thought suddenly, standing up straighter, holding her head high. 'I'm not afraid of anything! In fact...' She turned the handle and flung her door open wide. Feeling a spark of bravery, she reached in and turned on the light. Illumination poured out from the light bulb and filled every nook and cranny within the bedroom. No monsters, no scary messages, no terrifying gifts; nothing. The room was just as she'd left it, no unnerving surprises to be found. Parker smiled to herself victoriously and sauntered in fearlessly. 'I got this,' she thought to herself. She went to her closet and pulled out her old backpack, opened it up, and picked out a clean shirt and pajamas to pack. One pair of panties and socks later, she was ready to head back out and find her friends. Just as she turned to make for the door, a shadow caught her eye from the edge of the bedroom door. Her hair stood on end and her hands started to tremble.

"It's nothing," she told herself softly. She held tightly onto that spark of bravery and pulled the bag over her shoulder. Nervous yet strong footsteps led her to the door, out into the hallway, and to the hall light switch. "Here goes..." Click! There was nothing there. Every door was shut and darkened inside, save for hers, and showed no signs of intrusion. The girl chuckled quietly to herself and clicked off her bedroom light before shutting the door and turning to click off the light switch next to her. "I can't believe I'm this nervous about nothing," she laughed, trotting down the stairs freely. "Honestly, hat was I expecting? Maybe Cartman's right..." She stopped at the door and thought. "Maybe...maybe none of them really do exist...no, no! I know they do! Er, at least..." She shook the thought away with a confused growl and opened the door, giving the empty house one last grin before shutting it up tight and running off to meet her friends.

* * *

><p>Butters and Cartman followed closely behind the panicking Stan, running through the town and down every side-street they could think of that their brunette friend would take. So far the search had turned up with no results, only making the raven-haired boy worry more. The blonde and the fat boy tried to calm him, assuring again and again that she'd most likely have just gone home. While this did seem to put Stan at ease, it also frightened him to think that she'd willingly go back to that house after so many bad things took place there. He turned and began walking toward where she lived, when he looked up and caught sight of the girl in question. Relief rushed over him as he ran to meet her, almost knocking her off her feet and hugging her tightly.<p>

"Dude, you're okay!" he exclaimed, holding on hard. "I thought something happened to you!"

Parker raised a brow, confused. "What? Why?" She cracked a grin and pulled him back to arm's length. "Because of something Cartman said? Nah." A reassuring chuckle landed on Stan's ears and a bright smile soothed his nerves. "I'm fine, really. But...I am kinda scared to be by myself tonight. Can I maybe crash with you?"

"You can stay at my house!" Butters chirped excitedly, running up to grab her hand. "A-And don't worry; my parents will be home all night to make sure nobody else can hurt you. What do you say?"

"Sounds great," Parker replied, smiling. She looked back to Stan and asked, "You don't mind, do you?"

The raven-haired teen shook his head. "Not at all," he said. Was he a bit apprehensive about this?

"Great, come on then Parker," the blonde ushered. "Sorry, but my mom and dad don't like me being out too late after dark. Besides, we're having Chinese for dinner! Race you home!" He turned on his heel and ran off, laughing when the brunette suddenly chased after him, leaving the other two left behind. Stan watched them go, stomach in knots, and Cartman glaring at the back of Parker's head. With a sigh, Stan and Cartman travelled back to the fat teen's house for a night of worry and bitching. And checking for a popped testicle.

* * *

><p>"Mom, Dad, I'm home! And I brought a friend over for the night!"<p>

The boy's parents looked up from their spot on the couch and smiled at the brunette. Quickly they rose and greeted her, introducing themselves and insisting she make herself at home. She thanked them and followed Butters up to his room to unload her things and change into her pajamas. Pulling out a pair of camouflage bottoms and a black top, she glanced over her shoulder at Butters, who was coincidentally changing for the night as well. Self-consciousness eased slightly as she peeled off her jeans and shirt, and replaced them with her night clothes. 'Ah,' she thought, smiling, 'much better.'

"Hey, Butters?"

"Yeah, Parker?"

The brunette stretched and smiled at the blonde. "Thanks for letting me stay over tonight," she said, a tinge of guilt in her voice.

He smiled back and reached out to rub her arm. "Y-You're welcome. Anytime you need a place to run away to for a while, I'm always here." The two heard his mother calling from downstairs, so quickly he excused himself to see what she needed. Parker looked around his bedroom, taking in every detail and slightly shocked at how clean he kept it: it reminded her to pick up more when she got home. The darkening sky outside almost seemed to be calling her name. It was beautiful, but she knew it could also be quite deadly - or at least, it hid the deadly things within its beauty. She walked over and looked out, wondering briefly if things would ever go back to normal. For a second she felt almost happy, but then she remembered everything Cartman had said, and scowled. 'I hope I broke one,' she thought bitterly. With a sigh, she decided to venture out and search for the bathroom. Down the hall and to the right was the almost scarily-clean bathroom, where she closed herself in and leaned her back against the door. Something was wrong.

"So," a voice growled, "you didn't go through with it...such a shame."

Parker snapped to attention. 'Oh shit!' The shower curtain pulled back, revealing a rather ragged-looking Craig. His hair was a mess, he had dark rings under his eyes, his clothes look like they'd been attacked by a wild bear. He looked just awful. But that psychotic look in his eyes was still there. Those hideous, scary red eyes were what got to her the most.

"W-What do you want...?" she croaked. "How...how did you even get in here? Does Butters know?!"

Craig laughed raspily at her fear. "Not important," he said, deflecting her questions like they were nothing. "I see you made the wrong choice. So I'm here to fix it."

Horrified, Parker asked, "F-Fix what...?"

"You breathing." In one swift move, Craig had Parker by the hair and slammed her hard into the wall. She cried out in pain and screamed obscenities at the one-armed boy, trying to break his grip. She kicked hard into his leg, nearly vomiting when she heard the bone snap in his shin. He didn't even flinch; in fact, he didn't seem to notice. He threw her back onto the floor and pulled out a knife from his back pocket, flashing her a crazy smile before taking a swing aimed for her stomach. She managed to kick the knife out of his hand before turning for the bathroom door: He was there, that horrifying pale face completely bare except for a sickening torn-flesh grin. Blind panic washed over her and, having no other way out, she crawled under the teen's legs and sprang for the window, hoping to catch a branch from the tree outside. Time and strategy was a factor here. She'd managed to get one leg out of the window before feeling sharp, searing pain in the other and a pair of hands give a violent shove at her back. Before she knew what was happening, she was falling to the ground below. She hit hard, face-first, and could just hear wicked laughter and worried shouts from Butters and his family running outside. The last sound she heard was ambulance sirens, and blacked out before the paramedics could get her in the ambulance.

* * *

><p>I know, I always leave off on a cliffhanger. I just realized it usually ends up with her blacking out. Sorry...but I hope you all like it, please send in a review telling me what y'all think and as always, good words are much appreciated. :) See you again soon(er than last time)!<p> 


	49. Chapter 49

Finally a new chapter! Okay, quick note here: this chapter is short and it probably sucks. I know, I know, I keep promising to get back sooner, but it never really happens as promised. UGH! I hate disappointing you guys! BUT! This is coming up on the end of the story (maybe!) so that should mean that things will pick up. I'm trying not to jam everything in and make it feel rushed, that makes ME feel like a bad writer, and I know you guys will probably be starving for more. My laptop screen got busted, so I had to write most of this from looking at the tv screen. On top of that, my Internet is shitty as fuck and decided not to save my progress when I finally had everything written. So I had to go back and remember it all and write it back down. Ugh, so annoying. But anyways, I'll quit bitchin' and let you guys get on with the story! As always, enjoy! :)

* * *

><p>Loud wailing pierced the veil of black. The brunette awoke with a start and gave a yelp, her hands flying to her injured face. Her right arm stopped short and she nearly screamed, choking back tears from the pain. The assistant in the ambulance saw she was awake and carefully but quickly pinned her arms back down by her sides. He was grumbling something incoherent but quickly put on a happy face when he looked back up at Parker.<p>

"Hey kid, you okay?" he asked, genuinely worried.

Parker bared her teeth, scared and in unbearable pain. "WHERE IS HE!? I'LL BEAT HIS CRIPPLED ASS INTO NEXT MONTH!"

"Woah, calm down kid! I'm a paramedic, you're in an ambulance. We're taking you to the hospital to get fixed up."

"Huh, fixed up?" She looked down at her body and hissed between clenched teeth; her leg was bloody and the jeans were torn where she felt pain earlier, her right arm looked broken and bloody, and her the front of her clothes were covered in dirt and blood. She was a mess all over. She suspected her face must have taken quite a beating as well, landing as hard as it did on the ground. At least it was the lawn and not the cement. "Fuck...wait, did you say the hospital?"

The paramedic nodded. "Yes, you're in pretty bad shape. You have some great friends looking out for you, bud. Those are hard to come by nowadays."

Parker snorted. "You're telling me..." Sudden pain flared in her arm and she screamed, curse words flying left and right. The man beside her frowned and called something up to the drivers, and the brunette felt the speed increase on the road. Through the swearing and the crying she begged not to be taken to the hospital; nobody granted that wish, and soon she found herself being carried out of the vehicle and wheeled into the emergency entrance. She screamed and cursed and thrashed her good leg in an attempt to derail the procedures, but to no avail; there was no getting out of it. Her eyes darted around in panic, landing on Stan, Cartman, and Butters with his family. They looked terrified. She cried out and screamed as the men in white wheeled her off to a private room.

* * *

><p>"Ah, finally. Good work men; I think she'll be alright."<p>

The man from the ambulance looked down at the broken girl passed out in the hospital bed. "You know," he mumbled, "I could have sworn she was a boy...well, don't I feel stupid."

The doctor smiled at his coworker and chuckled. "It's quite alright, son; she fooled us all when you rushed her in here. In any case," he said, glancing down at the girl, "she's recovering nicely. That's all that matters. Still, I wonder what had happened to put her in this condition? Perhaps we'll find out when she comes to." The doctors and nurses filed slowly and silently out of the room, leaving Parker blissfully under darkness. Inside the girl's head, however, was another story.

Black surrounded her. No light, no sound, nothing; total darkness. A black void, floating endlessly. If this was death, it wasn't as bad as she'd expected. She moved her lips to speak, but no words made themselves heard. A strange calmness washed over her; for once since everything fell apart around her, she smiled a genuine smile and let her eyes slip closed. Until she heard voices.

"Yes boys, she's right in here." There was a scuffling sound against the floor as three pairs of feet softly traveled in. "Just please keep it down; your friend is still resting up."

"Alright, thank you nurse."

"Dude, what happened Butters?"

"I-I dunno, fellas, I heard a crash and screameing and next thing I know, well she's lying out on the lawn all banged up and broken..."

Cartman could be heard growling low under his breath. "Butters, you black asshole! You were supposed to keep an eye on her! Now look what happened!"

"I'm sorry! I didn't know!"

Parker let out a weak sigh. It was barely audible, but just loud enough to catch the boys' attention, even through Cartman's screaming. "Guys..." she whispered, eyes screwing shut in pain. "It's no...nobody's fault..."

Stan hovered over her, relief and fear and anger mixed into one on his worried face. "Take it easy, dude. You're still in recovery, remember?"

"Heh, y-yeah...sorry guys..." Her eyes slowly opened, tears of pain gathering within, and she watched the expressions of her friends; all were of worry and relief. She couldn't help but notice the camera in Stan's hand. Staring at it in confusion, she softly asked, "Why did you...bring a camera...?"

"Did you think we'd forget about it?" Cartman asked, feigning annoyance. "With what happened today, we can't afford to leave it behind. Of course, this wouldn't have happened if Butters had watched you like he was supposed to."

"ERIC!"

Her eyes narrowed. "Oh? So now I'm some kind of...animal? To be watched after?"

Stan punched Cartman hard in the gut and sighed. "Parker, he didn't mean it like - "

"No...all of you j-just...JUST G-GET OUT!"

"Parker please! You're supposed to stay in bed!"

The brunette threw the blankets back and stumbled up onto her feet. Her stitches tore open, gushing blood in rivers. She hissed in pain, flinching back momentarily. "GET OUT!"

"What's going on in here? Oh, doctor! Doctor, come quick!"

"PARKER, DUDE, JUST CHILL OUT! WE'LL LEAVE! JUST GET BACK IN BED; YOU'RE BLEEDING REALLY BAD!"

She shook from the adrenaline and anger, blood streaming down her leg at a dangerous rate. Her face was quickly draining of color. She wobbled on her feet. The room spun faster and faster, too fast for her; she took a step forward and fell face-first onto the cold tiled floor. Blood pooled around her, staining her hospital gown a light baby-blue to a deep and sickly maroon. The boys were shaking and frantic, trying to lift her back up and slip her into bed. Blood seeped into the sheets and dripped from the bottom of the bed frame. Stan set up the camera on the table at her bedside, pointing it on the bleeding brunette to catch every second on film. Nurses rushed in, followed by a few doctors, and the boys were promptly ushered out before the room door was slammed shut.

"She's scary when she's mad," Butters whimpered, staring ahead as they walked back to the waiting room.

Stan and Cartman nodded solemnly. "Yeah..."

"Hopefully she won't be too mad at us tomorrow. I hope her wounds heal up a little by then..."

* * *

><p>Sunlight bounced off the cold, clean tiles of the hospital floor, glaring Parker square in the eyes. She huffed in annoyance and pulled the covers up over her face. It was hot; way too hot for her to be lying in bed all day. Though the gown did provide some relief to the heat, it didn't do much in the front. I.V.s were stuck in her arm and the heart rate machine was beeping, letting everyone know she was still alive. She pulled the covers back down to her chest and sighed, wanting so desperately to leave and never come back. She'd always hated hospitals.<p>

"Nurse," she croaked, closing her eyes. "When can I go home?"

"Not until you're happy and healthy, sweetie," the nurse replied, smiling.

The brunette rolled her eyes and sighed again. 'I'll never be happy in this place,' she thought, grimacing. She looked out the window at the town below; people scurrying to and fro, rushing to where they need to be. 'Like rats in a maze,' she thought. Sun rays beat down on everyone below, forcing boys to take off their shirts and girls to fan themselves with their hands. She looked back at the nurse with pleading eyes.

"Can I at least get up and walk around?"

"Oh...I'm afraid not, dear. Your stitches aren't quite healed yet; it's only been a few days." She forced a smile and brought over a tray of food for Parker. For hospital food, it wasn't too bad: vegetable soup, a thick slice of pot roast, a cup of fresh fruit, and a tall glass of ice-cold water with a lemon wedge. Parker wasn't quite hungry, so instead of eating she opted for pushing it around the plate with her fork.

"I can't stand being stuck in bed all day," she mumbled lowly, glaring down at her soup. She looked up as the nurse was leaving, and sighed when she was gone. "I will get out of this..."

* * *

><p>"Dude, I'm worried..."<p>

"About what?"

Stan shot a poisonous glare at the fat teen across from him. "Really? Our friend is in the hospital, on her deathbed, and you honestly don't know why I'm worried? REALLY?!"

Cartman rolled his eyes at the raven-haired boy's disbelief. "Calm down, Stan; don't get your tampon in a knot."

"You have no right to - "

"Listen," the fat boy said, huffing, "she's fine, Stan. She's sitting in the hospital. Yes, that is an unfortunate truth. BUT! She is getting all fixed up and looked after by the doctors and nurses. Do you really think they'll let anything bad happen?"

"Well...no..."

"Exactly." He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and eyed Stan's food hungrily. "You gonna eat that?"

Stan shook his head and pushed his burger toward his friend. "I can't eat anything right now."

The fat teen tore open the wrapping and bit into the burger so graciously given to him. "Eh, your loss dude."

Was he right after all? Was Stan really just paranoid over nothing? He stared out the window, worry eating away at his insides and butterflies fluttering uncomfortably in his gut. 'She'll be fine. I-I know she will. Nothing bad ever happens at hospitals...besides the patients getting sick, or going crazy, or...UGH WHAT AM I DOING JUST SITTING HERE!?' Stan's phone buzzed loudly on the table, startling him out of his thoughts. Figuring it was his parents he looked down at the Caller I.D.; the number was restricted. Goosebumps broke out over his arm. Nevertheless, he picked it up and answered.

"H-Hello?"

There was no answer. Static crackled faintly in his ear. 'What the hell?' For a split second he thought he heard something, so he held the phone closer to his ear and asked again, "Hello?" More static. It was slowly, progressively getting louder. It was a mix, it seemed, of static and something scraping against metal. A sudden banging started, effectively creeping Stan out to the point of visibly trembling. Even Cartman noticed and became uneasy, simply by his friend's expression. The noise got louder and louder still, the mix of sounds grating on Stan's eardrum; until he thought he couldn't take anymore and was about to throw his phone at the wall, the sounds stopped. Stan was shaking.

"Hel - "

A loud, piercing, blood-curdling scream shot through the speaker, making the raven and the brunette nearly shit their pants, followed by a sickeningly loud crack. All noise stopped; no static, no banging, no breathing. Stan pulled the cell phone away from his ear with terrible shaky hands and stared down at it, looking ready to vomit. Cartman stared too, his face drained of color. Seconds, minutes, possibly even hours passed as the two sat like this, waiting. Finally the sound of low cackling echoed through the phone.

"I just killed your friend. HahahahAHAHAHAHAH - "

The line went dead. Stan ripped his gaze away to look up at Cartman. The fat teen turned green in the face and ran for the bathroom, barely keeping it in long enough to make it to a toilet. Stan gagged and dry heaved, but nothing would come up. His head was spinning, his heart racing. So many questions ran through his mind, all of them a numb blur. This couldn't be happening. His eyes squeezed shut and he fell sideways out of his seat, landing hard on the floor under the eyes of many worried customers.

"She's dead...she can't be dead...Parker..."

* * *

><p>EVIL CLIFFHANGER OF DOOM! Yeah, that's prolly annoying by now, huh? Ha, I'm terrible. Okay, that was short I know, but the next one will be longer and progress more. Sorry guys, so much has been going on and writer's block is the worst thing ever created (next to spiders, ooh hate those!) But yeah, since summer is upon us, hopefully I'll be out more, getting more inspiration. I really should get back to reading more horror stories and Slender Man-related things. That's what inspired me in the first place! Well, I'll let y'all go for now. Don't forget to keep checking back for updates, and I'll see you guys again real soon!<p> 


	50. Chapter 50

Long time no see, eh guys? Who's ready to finish this thing!? That's right - last chapter! And brace yourselves: it's a sad one! Violence and character death ahead, with a very bitter-sweet ending. Break out the tissues and the throw-up bin, and put on some sad music. Now read on, and enjoy!

* * *

><p>Red stains glistened in the moonlight, sparkling like sticky, iron-scented rubies. No movement, no sound; all was deathly still. Her eyes stared ahead, glassy like a doll's.<p>

'Nobody in sight...I guess that's a good thing.'

She stood pressed against the wall, breath held and heartbeat racing. Tonight was the night she was getting out, whether the staff liked it or not. Deeming the coast clear she snuck out, running as softly as she could manage with a still-healing leg. Things were looking good, save for the slight trickling of blood down her shin. At least it wasn't gushing rivers like days before. Her footsteps were soft and swift, pitter-patter down the empty hall. Her shadow danced across the walls like a frightening ballerina; sickly thin and twisting in each wrong way. The darkness was taking its toll on the brunette. Her eyes were heavy and her head felt light, but she pressed on in hopes of escaping her prison. A turn here, a stop there, quick glances for signs of life. Nothing.

'Good,' she thought. She quickly found the stairs and looked below: all was dark. Carefully she crept down the steps, clinging to the handrail in case she fell. It was so quiet she could hear a pin drop. Her ears were ringing dully; the silence was making her hear things. Goosebumps broke out over her arms. She wouldn't let that stop her. Down one flight, about a million more to go. 'I wish the elevator wasn't so noisy,' she grimaced, 'otherwise I would have taken that...'

A loud crash rung out somewhere below her. She froze, hands flying to her mouth to hold in a scream. Someone was breaking in!

'Oh no, oh no, oh no...fuck!'

Parker reached out and found the wall, and scurried off down the hall. It looked exactly the same as the level above her. Doors were all a blur as she hurried past looking for somewhere to hide. Low growling echoed throughout the building like a warning. She knew if she didn't get out soon she would die.

'Where can I hide?! All these doors are locked! SHIT!' The panicking brunette stopped and looked around. Fuck, the growling was getting closer; she could hear it coming up the steps. Furtively she checked the closest door: it was locked. 'Dammit! This can't be happening...' She ran to check the next door; locked, just like the first. Desperately she checked, each door proving to be useless in means of hiding. Finally she reached a tiny broom closet and checked. The handle turned and the door slowly inched open. She gave an inward sigh of relief and crept in, keeping as quiet as possible and closing the door behind her. There she sat and waited, not daring to let even one breath escape. 'Fuck, this is bad...! How in the hell am I supposed to escape if there's...SOMETHING OUT THERE!?' She listened hard: indeed, the growling was getting progressively closer, louder. Trembling in the darkness, Parker squeezed her eyes shut tight and screamed internally.

"I know you're in here, child..."

Was that voice over the P.A. system? Who did it belong to?

"Heheh, I know exactly where you are...and I'm coming for you."

'THE FUCK IF YOU ARE!' Parker's mind screamed. Inside she raged, but outside she cowered. Her eyes were fixed on the door, straining in the emply black that surrounded her. Part of her wanted to run out and fight, to take on anything that came her way and be done with this, but she knew that was simply the heightened sense of doom speaking. But, it had a point; she couldn't just sit here and wait for death like a helpless animal. With her eyes still locked on the door, she reached out gingerly and groped around for a weapon. Her fingers found something thin and cold, and quickly she wrapped them around whatever item it was she'd just found. She waited, listening. The growls sounded close, so very close, but still quite far. If she had to guess, and she really didn't want to, she'd have guessed the source was on the floor below.

'No wasting time now.' Slowly, quietly she pulled herself up and rested a shaky hand on the doorknob. 'On the count of three...one...two...' She breathed shakily in, and exhaled slightly more steady. "Three." She twisted the handle and rushed out, wildly looking around. Nothing. She took advantage of the moment and glanced at her weapon: it appeared to be a long metal pole like the one that held her I.V.s. In fact, it was exactly that, save for the broken end. That could easily pierce skin. A sigh of relief passed her lips and off she ran, taking comfort in the fact that she could at least fight back.

"You shouldn't have done that, my dear..."

That damned voice. It sounded so smooth and calming, yet laced with evil. She broke out in chills. It sounded so familiar to her, why? The brunette stopped at a corner and peered around the edge. Nothing but shadows. It seemed safe. For now, anyway. She turned the corner and walked softly as not to give away her location. She had a feeling she wasn't alone. The hairs on the back of her neck stood straight up and quickly she spun around in terror. There was nothing there.

'Why am I freaking out? It's just an empty fucking hallway,' she thought, disgusted at her paranoia. 'Just calm down, Parker. You have to calm down. There's nothing here to get you.'

"Oh, but of course there is..."

'Shit.'

Sudden gurgling sounds made her heart stop. Panicked, Parker looked around but found no source. 'WHAT THE FUCK! WHERE IS THAT COMING FROM!?' Gasping, sputtering, sickening choked gurgles echoed all around her, making her whole body shake. From the corner of her eye she caught slow, almost unnoticeable movement. Her eyes quickly focused on the spot and saw, to her horror, the shadow was moving. They all were, she realized, horrified. And the noises - they were coming from the shadows! Slowly the darkness took shapes: almost human-like, but twisted into something from a nightmare. The first one to fully morph was scraggly and sickly looking; black holes for eyes and rotting skin, cracked and decaying bones protruding from its body. Hair matted to its forehead, stained a blackish-red from dried and clotted blood. It stumbled forward and gurgled grotesquely before falling to the ground before her, its head rolling right off its shoulders and stopping just beside her left foot. The body twitched and struggled to get back up, while the head groaned and sputtered, bits of hair falling out. Parker covered her mouth, partially not to scream and partially to keep from vomiting on herself, and stared in disgust at the corpse's face. It seemed to staring back at her, and suddenly it dawned on her - in sickening realization -

"T-Tweek...?"

The head grew quiet momentarily before gurgling again, coming out almost like a scream. The girl dropped to her knees and retched hard, all of the contents of her stomach splattering against the tiled floor. She screamed out loud and coughed up more vomit, body wracking and heart racing at a million miles an hour. If that was Tweek, she realized, then the rest of the shadows must have been the other kids that died as well. Reluctantly she turned her head and saw another decayed, monstrous version of one of her friends. The huge, gaping hole in the chest, splintered fragments of rib bones sticking out every which way, a single rotted, grayish-green eye locked onto her - she guessed that one must have been Kyle. It sputtered and groaned, taking slow steps forward, and suddenly ran full-speed at the terrified brunette. She screamed and swung her pole as hard as she could, landing a loud, splintering crack against her deceased friend's legs. It fell over with a loud growl and quickly Parker pulled herself together long enough to run away. She knew the others would come after her as well; she just had to get away to a safe place for now. It was useless though, she realized, as they morphed from the shadows. There were shadows all around her. She turned a corner and desperately began checking doors again: locked, locked, locked, locked, unlocked.

"Finally," she panted. She swung the door open and slammed it shut tight behind her, locking it from inside. "I wonder..." Nervously she flipped on the light switch, illuminating the room. A room like any other, she supposed: two beds for patients, a curtain to separate them, a single window, the usual. Parker slid down to the floor and wheezed, trying to catch her breath. If her guess was correct, then her dead friends couldn't materialize from shadow if the area was cloaked in the light. However, she knew that the light would give away her location, and sooner or later she would have to fight her way out anyway. They would gather in a group and surround her, she knew, but so long as there was light they couldn't catch her. 'Well, unless they broke the door down,' she thought bitterly, crinkling her nose. 'Okay, think. I have momentary safety, what am I gonna do to get out of this one...? Shit, I can hear them coming! Think, think, think, you idiot!'

Their gurgles and wheezing gasps got louder and louder until she could hear them behind the door. 'Shit, I'm running out of time...' They screamed that horrible, sickening gurgle scream and began pounding on the door. Parker clasped her hands over her ears and brought her knees up to her chest. She trembled, frightened tears welling up in her eyes. Glancing at the glass through the door, she could see almost glowing eyes staring dead ahead. She recognized Bebe and Wendy instantly, their rotting skin peeling away from their bodies. She could see Kyle pulling himself up and Tweek's body slamming the door, dismembered head clutched tightly in it's bony, dead hand. Parker could feel her stomach turn and swallowed hard, willing away her urge to throw up. On the bright side, her theory proved to be correct. For now, at least. "Well," she mumbled to herself, "at least they aren't getting in. But..." She rose to her feet and stared at her dead friends, guilt and anger weighing down upon her heart. "Looks like the only way out is to go through them...I-I can't do this...!"

"What's wrong, Parker? Can't even stand up to your friends...?" A chilling chuckle echoed in her ears. The unwelcome sound made her jump, breaking out in a cold sweat. Now she remembered that voice. Peering out through the glass, she could see that hideous grin behind the rotting corpses of her friends. He stood tall and pale, tentacles floating on air. She wasn't ready for this.

"No. No fucking way," she hissed, terrified. 'Shit, now I HAVE to fight my way out!' The brunette sighed shakily and took a deep breath. Her heart raced and her stomach dropped as she reached for her trusty broken pole. A quick, almost desperate scan provided no further help; the room was free of any 'dangers'. "I'll have to remember to bitch at the nurses after this," she chuckled nervously. She faced the door. Breathe in, breathe out; no backing out now. With a rush of fear-based adrenaline the girl kicked open the door and started swinging, tears flowing and screaming apologies to her undead friends. She swung hard at the first body in her way - it was Kyle. His one clouded green eye locked onto her as he struck out a rotting hand, nails brandished and ready to strike. She hit hard, sending a loud and splintering crack echoing down the hall. His arm tore from his body by the force of the blow and was sent flying behind the horde. For a brief moment the group seemed distracted; they all stopped to register the change in their comrade's body. Unfortunately, they all came back angrier than before. "Fuck..."

"What will you do now?" he chuckled darkly. Damn that taunting smirk!

"I won't back down!" Parker yelled, taking another hard swing at the rotting bodies. Wendy and Bebe came at her from either side, seemingly planned out to distract her while the other bites her arm open. The brunette spun on her heels, swinging her weapon around like a cornered ballerina. The two decayed girls were knocked back, but not for long before they stumbled back onto their feet. They growled and ran back at her. Parker hissed and ran to gain some space, and turned back to the group. She was shaking, yes, but she knew if she let her guard down or remembered how her friends used to be, she wouldn't be able to save herself.

'They're nothing more than dead, rotting flesh,' she told herself, choking back tears. Without hesitation, she hurled herself forward, weapon glinting in the moonlight and ready to strike. Closer and closer they got - she could smell the decay. Parker screamed and struck. "W-Wha...?"

The corpses were gone. Vanished out of thin air. The only things left behind were black smoke clouds where her friends once stood. Nothing more, nothing less. The brunette looked around, confused. Shallow breaths heaved out of her throat, scared and confused, until her lips broke out in a scowl and a crazed growl echoed off the walls. "WHERE ARE YOU!? COME OUT AND FIGHT ME YOURSELF, YOU FUCK! AAAAGGHHHH!" She whipped her pole at the nearest wall, hearing it hit and break something off, and collapsed to her knees, punching and smashing her head into the floor. "FUCKING FIGHT ME! WELL!? ARE YOU SCARED!? QUIT FUCKING MESSING WITH ME AND JUST FUCKING KILL ME ALREADY!"

"Now where's the fun in that?" he asked coyly, taunting her.

Parker screamed wildly, screwing her eyes shut to hold back furious tears. "I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I FUCKING HATE YOU!"

He laughed ominously, echoes bouncing softly off the walls. She didn't need to open her eyes to see he was hiding. Parker lay there crying angrily for what she thought was hours, not caring if her dead friends tore her apart at a moment's notice. Her head was spinning and numb; a bitter grin spread across her face. 'Feels like bees in my head,' she mused, tears streaming down her face. After a while of lying there and nothing happening, Parker managed to pull herself together enough to get back up. She pulled herself up with a little help from the wall, sighed, and stared down the hall: all clear. She gritted her teeth and growled under her breath, but nonetheless, she retrieved her weapon and made her way down the corridor, itching to break a certain face.

'When I find that son of a bitch, I'm gonna...'

A sudden sound caught her ears: growling. The same growling from earlier. "Shit," she hissed. She stopped mid-stride and listened, straining to gauge how close it was. It sounded close. A few halls away. "Oh fuck, this isn't good...it can't be my friends again, cold it?" Not wanting to find out, she continued on keeping as silent as she could manage. The sounds grew slowly louder, as if the creature behind it were rounding a corner down the hall. The only cover Parker had was the darkness all around her. "I've gotta find a place to hide," she whispered to herself nervously. "But I don't think there's anymore open rooms...fuck..." She dared to steal a look back and found nothing trailing behind her. A relieved grin tugged at the corners of her mouth as she turned back around, and blindly slammed into something and fell back on her ass. She cursed and looked up at what hit her, and silently paled.

He smiled down at her. "Does your nurse know you're out here running around...?"

"K-Kenny...?" Parker dropped her weapon, a loud clang resonating throughout the empty building.

The faceless blonde smiled wider, not scarily but sweetly. "You sound so surprised, Parker."

The brunette felt tears stinging her eyes. Was it really him? "Where...where have you been?"

"I had to stay away a while," he replied simply. He stretched out a long, pale hand to help her up. Shakily she took it, and stared up at his pale face. Normally she would have been terrified, but this time seemed different. This time Kenny actually seemed...sad. Sad yet happy. Like the Kenny she knew before. The Kenny she fell in love with. "I'm sorry I've been gone for so long," he murmured softly, caressing her fingers apologetically. "I've been dealing with my own problems lately...heh, funny a monster like me should have a conscious, huh?" His blonde hair covered his blackened eyes, making him look like a sad child. "So I take it you found the doll, then?"

Parker nodded, sadness strangling her vocal cords. "Y-Yeah...it was beautiful. But, why? What happened that night?"

"I saw you in the garage. At first it amused me to see you so hurt; I loved the feeling I got from seeing you that way. But when you kicked the step stool away...well, all those feelings stopped dead, and I was scared." Slowly, almost nervously he pulled the stunned girl into a tight hug, squeezing slightly. "Before you did it, I wanted to hurt you myself; I alone wanted to drive you to that point. I guess somewhere deep inside, I still do. I won't lie: I am still a monster, after all. But at that moment, I couldn't contain the fear, the sadness. When the rope snapped tight around your neck, I had to save you. So I cut you down, threw out the rope, and lay you down in bed with the doll. I'd hoped you would have known it was me who saved you, but...well, you were still scared. I don't blame you." Kenny chuckled to himself mournfully. "It's not exactly like we got off on the right foot, after all."

The brunette stared up at him, bewildered at what she was hearing. 'After all this time...' Hot tears flowed past her cheeks, landing softly against the cold tiled floor. She sniffled and hugged around his waist tightly, burying her face in his stomach. Her body shook with her quiet sobs, and she felt his hand gently patting her back for comfort.

"There, there," he cooed softly. "Don't cry, my dear. I don't want my favorite victim to be sad."

She only cried harder, fingers digging into his sides and face pushed harder into his abdomen. "I-I thought...we w-were okay n-now?"

Kenny's smile faltered. "We are," he said, kneeling down. He held her at arm's length, meeting her tear-ridden brown eyes with his own black ones, little white orb locked on the girl's mouth. "I am your guardian angel, Parker. I have been since we met." He leaned in and kissed her gently at the corner of her mouth. "But the fact remains: I'm still a monster. I mean, look at me." Black, writhing tentacles sprouted from his back, dancing with the shadows in an eerie ballet. "I want to protect you, I do; but since I was turned...I can't be the prince you want me to be. I can't save you as much as I can kill you. It's who I am now. A monster whose sole existence is to kill the one I was sent to kill. The others were merely out of jealousy; I couldn't let them get close to you. I wanted you all to myself." His tentacles wriggled towards the brunette and slowly wrapped themselves around her legs and arms. "I needed you for myself," he whispered. There was a desperate tone to his voice. "And I vowed to kill anyone who stood in my way..."

"But why then?" Parker asked, voice cracking. "Why all the others and not Stan? He was doing the same as everyone else!"

Kenny's eyes narrowed, little white orb turning red at her sudden tone. "Stan was my best friend, Parker. I didn't care for the others enough not to kill them."

"Then explain Kyle!" Parker spat, furious. "Explain why you could kill him so easily! Stan was his best friend too, you know! Didn't you care how the rest of us felt!? DIDN'T YOU!?"

The blonde smirked wickedly. "Like I said," he murmured, squeezing her limbs tightly, "jealousy. But everything's okay now." He ran a pale hand through her hair and grabbed a fistful of hair at the base of her head. "Everything's okay...because you're all mine now. All...mine!" The girl screamed in pain and struggled to get free, but for every squirm and scream she made, the tighter and harder the blonde held on. His smile grew wider, sharp teeth glinting in the moonlight. His long, almost serpentine tongue slithered out of his mouth and dragged along the side of her face, eliciting an especially loud, horrified scream from Parker. Her hair was standing on end, her whole body was shaking, and her voice was threatening to quit altogether on her.

"S-SOMEBODY HELP!" she wailed, eyes darting around wildly.

Kenny cackled evilly, throwing his head back dramatically. "THERE'S NOBODY TO HEAR YOU SCREAM, GIRL!" he howled, laughing. "IT'S JUST YOU AND ME NOW! FINALLY I CAN TAKE WHAT'S MINE!" He laughed harder and squeezed hard around Parker's throat, choking her, before he was knocked to the floor by an unknown assailant. His grip loosened around the girl enough for her to see who rescued her: it was Cartman. Or, at least what looked like Cartman. He was ashen and raggedy; his skin was peeling away from his body, rotting flesh festering away beneath the wounds. His jacket had become dingy and dirty. A large chunk of flesh had been ripped away from his body: his stomach, Parker noticed, was completely ripped away and rotten, strips of flesh and fat hanging grotesquely down to the floor. The dead boy slammed hard into the blonde monster again, knocking Parker completely loose from his clutches. Her mind was abuzz with questions, but she wasted no time in retrieving her weapon and running like hell in the opposite direction.

'WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?' she screamed internally, not daring to look back. 'I don't remember seeing Cartman earlier! Wait, if he's here, then...?' She rounded a corner and was met face-to-face with a monster-like version of Stan. He lay bloodied on the ground, only one arm to drag himself forward with. 'Just like in my nightmare,' Parker recalled in horror. She backed away and took off running, not sure where she was heading anymore. All she knew is, she had to get out of there. And she had to get out alive!

"PAR...KER...!"

She stumbled and fell flat on her face, shaking and sobbing out of fright. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" she screamed, curling up in a ball with her eyes squeezed shut and her hands clasped over her ears. "LEAVE ME ALONE! LEAVE ME ALONE! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"Par...ker..." Hands clasped tightly around her and made her scream, flailing about wildly. She reached out and found her weapon, and swung like crazy, not once opening her eyes. Crack upon crack could be heard, sickening splats and splintering thumps echoing off the walls. She could hear splatters landing against the floor and the walls; she could feel still-warm blood spray against her face. She never wanted to vomit so much in her life. Finally she felt the hands release her and screamed one more time before shakily dropping her weapon, wiping the blood off her eyes, and nervously opening her eyes. What she saw, however, wasn't the dead bodies of her friends.

"S-Stan...? Cartman...?"

Before her, in a bloody mess, lie her two best friends, unresponsive, lying in a pool of their own blood. If she could have screamed anymore, she would have. All that came out was a weak, raspy cry.

"Guys...I-I am so s-sorry..."

* * *

><p>"Good morning, doctor. What's the word today?"<p>

"Ah, Milly; just the girl I wanted to see! Well, it seems one of our patients is all ready to go back home today!"

The nurse smiled warmly. "Would it happen to be that nice Parker boy down in room eighty-three?"

"That's the one! Why don't you go give him the good news? I've got a few things to take care of before everyone else shows up."

"You got it!" The nurse smiled to herself as she hurried down the hall to tell her patient the good news. As she turned the corner, she stopped at the sight before her and screamed bloody murder. "DOCTOR! DOCTOR, COME QUICK! WE HAVE AN EMERGENCY!" The man rushed to the nurse's side, and gagged.

"Oh dear...that - urgh - that's not good. I suppose - ugh - I suppose we better call the kids' parents. Well, clean them all up and bandage them. I'll be right back."

* * *

><p>"Thank you all for coming on such short notice."<p>

Mr. and Mrs. Marsh, Mrs. Cartman, Parker's dad, Stan, Shelley, and Cartman all sat in the doctor's office, worried and uneasy. The boys were still sore from the ordeal the night before, already somewhat bleeding through their gauze. They glanced at each other nervously, waiting for the doctor to speak.

"Please doctor, tell us what's going on," Stan's mom asked, worried. "What caused him to attack my son like that?"

"Yes, he was perfectly fine a few weeks ago," Cartman's mom piped up. "My little poopsie-kins has never said anything bad about his little friend. Why would he do this?"

The man in the white coat sighed and stood. He stared out the window for a moment or two before finally turning back to the worried parents and children before him. "Well," he started carefully, "young Parker has a...well, a mental illness."

"What kind of illness?" Stan's dad asked, taken aback.

"It turns out that she's been diagnosed with a severe case of schizophrenia. The disease ravaged her mind so terribly that she thought you two were monsters," the man said, motioning toward Stan and Cartman. "She kept screaming about someone out to kill her as well; someone by the name of 'Kenny'."

Stan and Cartman felt their hearts drop. It suddenly made sense to them now. 'So...she was behind all the murders then...?'

"Please doctor," Parker's father begged, "I have to know. What's going to happen to my daughter?"

He forced a smile and shuffled some papers uncomfortably on his desk. "Not to worry, sir," he replied calmly. "Your little girl is receiving all the best treatment modern medicine can offer."

"YOU'RE STUFFING HER FULL OF PILLS!?" Stan screamed, outraged.

"Stanley - "

"NO MOM! I CAN'T SIT BY WHILE THEY FUCK HER UP ON WHO-KNOWS-WHAT KIND OF MEDICATIONS!"

"YEAH!" Cartman agreed, rising hastily to his feet. "SHE MIGHT HAVE ATTACKED US, BUT GOD DAMMIT, SHE'S STILL OUR FRIEND!"

The duo bursted through the office door and ran wildly down the hall, looking around for the room Parker could have been in. "DUDE, THE TOP FLOOR!" Cartman yelled, running toward the stairs. "THAT'S WHERE THEY KEEP THE MENTAL WARD!" The two raced up the steps, ignoring the shouts and demands and threats from the staff and their parents. All they cared about was finding their friend, before they crammed pills down her throat. Flight after flight, finally they reached the top and looked around for the brunette's room. The patient's names were scrawled out beside their room door almost illegibly. "Dude...here it is..." The door was shut and locked. The only way to peer inside was through a small window-hole, barred up like a prison cell. They looked inside regardless and found her there, leaning against the white padded wall in what appeared to be only knee-high socks and white underwear. She had been restrained, wrapped up and locked into a straight jacket. Her hair covered her eyes. They noticed her glasses didn't appear to be on. Carefully, gingerly, they called out to her.

"Parker? Dude, it's us: Stan and Cartman."

The brunette looked up, dark rings under her bloodshot eyes. Her face looked pale, almost lifeless. She didn't smile nor frown; neither laugh nor cry. She just stared at them, eyes glasses over and tired.

"Hey dude, how are you feeling?" Cartman asked, choking back tears.

Parker didn't respond. She merely looked at them, eyes not focusing at all. She had a far-away look, a look of lost will to go on. The boys couldn't stop the quiet sobs wracking their bodies. The doctor and their parents finally found them and tried to soothe them comfortingly. They knew it must have been hard to see her like this.

"Come on boys," the doctor ushered, "visiting hours aren't until tomorrow, okay?" He helped them toward the elevators and shushed their sobs. "It'll all be okay. Tell you what; I'll give your parents a call early in the morning so that way you can spend all day visiting. How does that sound?" He pressed a button and the doors shut, taking the group back down to the main floor. Leaving Parker all alone once again. She continued to stare ahead at where her friends once were, not feeling anything inside. No sadness, no happiness. Just emptiness. A familiar pale face smiled her way.

"Well now," he said softly, "isn't that better? No more distractions." The pale blonde kneeled beside her and brushed her hair out of her face. "You look so beautiful, darling. Just like...an angel." He chuckled softly to himself and wrapped a slithering tentacle around her small throat. "Just like a sweet little angel..." He stood and lifted her up by her throat, not even getting so much as a protest whimper from the numb girl. "Are you ready to finally fly, my dear?"

Parker shifted her gaze to him, bubbly tears building up behind her eyes. She said not a word, but closed her eyes, letting her tears spill down her cheeks. Kenny smiled, a mix of sadism and genuine happiness, and gently pressed his pale lips to hers. "I love you, Parker," he whispered, taking hold of her hand. His own eyes slipped closed and he rested his forehead against hers gently, before tightening his grip around her throat slowly, and finally snapping her neck in one swift motion. She hung limp, lifeless. Kenny wiped away her stray tears and kissed her forehead.

"Now we can finally be together...and I can be the prince you always wanted."

A certain armless boy and a tall faceless man stood outside the door, looking in.

"Now what?" Craig asked solemnly.

"Now," the faceless being replied, "I have no use for you. No use here anymore." He turned to Craig and grinned darkly. "Ready to take one more order from your master, boy?"

Craig nodded, unnerving excitement in his eyes. "Yes!" he breathed. He followed the tall man down the hall to the window, wrenched it open, and climbed up onto the ledge. Looking back to the Slender Man, he gave one last smile and fell face-first out the window. A loud, sickening splat sounded from below, and the monster chuckled, peering down.

"Such a good little puppet..." He slowly made his way to the stairs and descended them calmly, passing right by any staff members without notice. When he was finally outside he took a look up and smirked.

"Goodbye, South Park. It's been so much fun~"

* * *

><p>Well, that's it. The end of our story. No more cliffhangers, no more tricks. Parker is dead, and Kenny finally has his love. Stan and Cartman are finally left in peace, and the Slender Man has vanished from South Park. A tragic love story, or a happy horror? Let me know what you think. And thank you everyone who kept me going and followed my story! You all are so amazing and wonderful, I couldn't have kept this going if it weren't for all of you! Pat yourselves on the backs, guys; you deserve it! Farewell, my friends, until next time~<p> 


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